The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) says it is leading the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) that is being undertaken for the Northern Cape’s planned green hydrogen production facilities in a proposed new special economic zone (SEZ), as well as a port, at Boegoebaai.  

The spatial area for the SEA includes the proposed port, and the associated SEZ adjacent to the port and the broader Namakwa region.

A local-scale SEA study will assess the sustainability of the proposed port and SEZ development in an area of about 33 500 ha, while a regional-scale SEA study will cover sustainability issues associated with the Northern Cape green hydrogen economy for the Namakwa area, delineated by the local municipalities of Richtersveld, Nama Khoi, Kamiesberg and Khâi-Ma.

The CSIR says the SEA process will have a holistic approach that includes biophysical and socioeconomic aspects at a strategic level.

It will include independent expert teams that will contribute their expertise on domains such as marine ecology and biodiversity, including coastal birds; terrestrial ecology and biodiversity; terrestrial birds and bats; surface and groundwater; sustainable port planning; fisheries and coastal livelihoods; conservation planning; regional planning, including human movement and infrastructure; and socioeconomics associated with this development.

Leader of the CSIR’s Environmental Management Services group and seasoned environmental practitioner Paul Lochner says an SEA in the context of a regional hydrogen economy in the Northern Cape is especially necessary. 

“Globally, there is strong interest in the potential for green hydrogen to replace fossil fuels, particularly in sectors where it is difficult to reduce fossil-fuel-based emissions, such as aviation, shipping and bulk transport. These sectors are crucial to meeting climate change commitments. The proposed generation of green hydrogen at Boegoebaai would be for export and local use,” Lochner says.

The overall objective of the SEA is to develop an integrated decision-making framework to guide planning of the proposed Boegoebaai port and SEZ, as well as in the wider Namakwa region, in a sustainable manner.

Some of the aspects that the assessment will cover include identifying the sensitivity of the receiving environment, potential fatal flaws that need to be addressed early in the planning process, strategic-level opportunities and constraints, and strategic management actions. The CSIR notes that the SEA does not replace the legal requirement for a project-level environmental-impact assessment.

“The CSIR has been instrumental in the introduction and evolution of SEAs in South Africa. Our competency in these assessments is widely recognised, and we are committed to provide independent science-based information and advice into the decision-making process in a transparent manner,” he says.

The CSIR project team comprises project leader Lochner, project manager Babalwa Mqokeli, stakeholder engagement facilitator Lizande Kellerman, geospatial specialist Luanita Snyman-van der Walt and project adviser Dr Greg Schreiner.

On May 23, the CSIR, the Northern Cape Economic Development Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, the South African National Energy Development Institute and the Transnet National Ports Authority were joined by about 40 stakeholders representing non-government organisations, community-based organisations, government, academic research and the private sector to guide and inform best practice science-policy processes and facilitate the co-production of knowledge content that will be used to inform decision-making for sustainable development in the Northern Cape.