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The human cost of green hydrogen in South Africa: community voices challenge EU’s narrative
9 July 2025, Strasbourg, France – Communities impacted by green hydrogen projects in South Africa had their voices heard by MEPs and the European Commission for the first time after previously being excluded, thanks to a meeting convened by the European Parliament’s Delegation on Relations with South Africa (D-ZA).
While EU leaders hail green hydrogen as a climate solution, communities in South Africa are being displaced, silenced and polluted in its name [1]. The meeting began with a special screening of the unreleased documentary from Corporate Europe Observatory, which tells the story from the ground through the testimonies of fisherfolk, farmers and indigenous leaders paying the true price of Europe’s so-called green transition [2].
Following the screening, the D-ZA meeting heard from Director of DG Trade, Ms Dora Correia, and Yegeshni Moodley, climate and energy justice senior campaigner at groundWork South Africa [3].
“Green hydrogen has been marketed as a promised panacea for all our energy transition woes, as we have abundant sun and space in South Africa – but there is no empty land, and energy is never free. Rather than addressing the systemic roots of South Africa’s energy crisis, the hydrogen economy glosses over them with a shiny new way of exploiting our resources.
“We, as South African communities, call on EU decision-makers to use their power for our good, to see in a new model of working where establishing benefits in host communities becomes the norm, with corporate accountability, due diligence, true sustainability and justice as a core principle.” Yegeshni Moodley, climate and energy justice senior campaigner, groundWork South Africa.
The meeting focused on the new Clean Trade and Investment Partnership the EU is negotiating with South Africa, which aims to bring large quantities of green hydrogen and its derivatives to Europe. The agreement has been criticised by groundWork and Corporate Europe Observatory for providing a green veneer to the damaging fossil fuel economy [4].
“The CTIP has nothing to do with helping South Africa make a just transition and everything to do with helping Europe’s most polluting industries secure the resources they need. This nakedly neocolonial resource grab is actually promoting more fossil fuel use while dressing it up as decarbonisation. In short, it means frontline communities in South Africa will continue to bear the brunt of Europe’s so-called transition.
“The EU needs to pull the handbrake on its green hydrogen import plans, tune out the hydrogen lobby and start listening to the voices of those most impacted by its damaging green hydrogen import plans.” Pascoe Sabido, researcher and campaigner, Corporate Europe Observatory
**ENDS**
Full video of the session available here
For media inquiries please contact:
Dorothy Brislin, Head of Communications, groundWork Friends of the Earth South Africa
, +27 82 319 3741
Marcella Via, CEO press officer
Pascoe Sabido, CEO researcher
Notes to editor
[1] For more information on the impacts of green hydrogen on communities in South Africa, see CEO’s recent report, The Scramble for Hydrogen in South Africa, here.
[2] CEO’s upcoming documentary, The Scramble for Hydrogen in South Africa, is based on testimonies of communities fighting green hydrogen projects across the country. It is due to be released in Autumn 2025. You can watch the trailer here.
[3] The meeting was convened by D-ZA Chair Üdo Bullmann (S&D) and VIce-Chair Tilly Metz (Greens). The invited speakers were Dora Correia, European Commision, DG TRADE; Claudia Azevedo, Jacques Delors Thinking Europe; Tanya van Meelis, COSATU; Ms Yegeshni Moodley, groundWork. For more information on the D-ZA see here.
[4] Evidence uncovered by Corporate Europe Observatory shows that South African petrochemicals giant Sasol and German renewables company Enertrag have been lobbying to weaken the EU definitions around hydrogen in order to allow Sasol to export fossil fuel-based “Sustainable Aviation Fuel”. Thanks to the CTIP this is likely to become a reality, as one of its explicitly stated aims is to “enable Sasol to export sustainable fuel, especially aviation fuel to the EU, including addressing compliance and regulatory issues.” For more information, see here.
