Be it petrol, diesel or coal… As the usage of these traditional fuels increases, their supply gets constantly decreased. When the energy sources stored in nature will run out, the world will have to suffer a lot. The limitation of these traditional sources of energy has triggered caution, prompting the global community to look for alternatives. Scientists have already started working on this. Human beings have realised that fuels made from components that are inexhaustible in nature (hydrogen, solar power etc.) are much more reliable. However, their usage (or popularity) is still limited. Another limitation of fuels made from traditional sources, like mineral oil and coal, is pollution. The usage of these fuels causes pollution that is responsible for Global Warming.

Scientists have been trying to find a suitable alternative to traditional fuels for a long time. Finally, an African nation has come forward to address this issue. South Africa is concentrating on creating an environmentally friendly new energy source as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels. Pretoria has announced that it will manufacture the fuel of the future at huge cost. The Government of South Africa has confirmed that it will develop a massive USD 4.6 billion plant in order to make a game-changing shift towards sustainable energy alternatives. This ambitious project will transform the energy landscape by providing a greener and more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fossil fuels.

South Africa is making a serious attempt to increase its importance in the international energy market. Successful efforts shall certainly help the country achieve its goal, and the global community shall get a new alternative to fossil fuels. The mega project shall also benefit South Africa in other ways, as the country can reduce unemployment by creating more job opportunities. Overall, this is going to be a positive step for South Africa’s economy.

South Africa has started an initiative to create a new fuel with ammonia. The ammonia plant will be constructed on thousands of hectares of land in Eastern Cape Province. According to sources close to the South African Government, ammonia can be made environmentally friendly by using renewable energy. Using ammonia as a fuel will reduce the carbon footprint, as well as the level of pollution.

Hive Energy Africa, a South African company, is all set to undertake this mega project. Colin Loubser, the Managing Director of Hive Energy Africa, has informed the media that environmentally friendly ammonia may become a viable alternative as a marine transport fuel. “It will begin to replace heavy fuel oils on ships and diesel. That will be the future fuel, especially in the maritime business,” stressed Loubser. He has claimed that the process of making fuel from ammonia, too, is environmentally friendly. According to Loubser, this process requires only water, air and electricity.

As ammonia is formed by the combination of nitrogen and hydrogen; water will be separated into hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis, while nitrogen will be extracted using an air separation unit. “The process of greening it is that you use renewable energy for this. You are not making it with fossil fuels, coal or gas. It is a completely green process,” stated Loubser.

Hive Energy Africa is scheduled to initiate the project in 2026. Loubser has told the press that they will receive all sorts of assistance from a solar power plant located nearby. A local company, which separates salt from seawater, will supply water.

However, this South African initiative, too, has some limitations. Ammonia is a poisonous gas with a distinctive odour. Hence, it is difficult to handle this gas without special expertise. Furthermore, the usage of ammonia as fuel releases nitrogen oxide, which is a greenhouse gas. Nitrogen oxide is especially responsible for air pollution. So, how to use ammonia as an alternative fuel without polluting the environment is going to be a great challenge for South Africa.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das