PNE and S.E.T. to jointly produce and market e-fuels in South Africa

The PNE Group and S.E.T. Select Energy GmbH announced their intention to jointly produce and market synthetic fuels (e-fuels) derived from renewable energy sources in South Africa.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed to this effect in Hamburg, Germany.

The plan is to produce green hydrogen via electrolysis, powered by energy from wind farms and photovoltaic plants, with a nominal capacity of 1 gigawatt (GW) electrolyser.

Markus Lesser, PNE’s CEO, views this as a significant milestone for PNE and its commitment to comprehensive clean energy solutions, combining wind and solar energy in conjunction with the production of green hydrogen.

PNE Group is a German wind power pioneer based in Cuxhaven and is one of the most experienced project developers of onshore and offshore wind farms. 

Hamburg, Germany-based SET leverages decades of global trade experience in energy products and commodities to drive the energy transition. Established in 1985, the family-owned company offers a wide range of services and has been actively involved in various green energy projects since 2021 through its division, “Select New Energies.

The strategic partnership between the project developer and the trading company aims to ensure the economically viable marketing of green e-fuels to potential customers.

York zu Dohna, Co-CEO of SET, highlighted South Africa’s potential for renewable energy and export logistics, providing both local and international customers access to e-fuels.

The project will focus on e-fuels due to the lack of large grid capacity in the project’s vicinity. Sea water will be used for the electrolysis process, after being passed through a desalination and demineralisation plant.