Pretoria: North West Premier Thandi Modise will today lead a provincial visit to Japan to explore partnerships and investments for the Platinum Valley Hub Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
The Platinum Valley Hub Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a public-private partnership in South Africa which aims at attracting platinum investors.
The objective of the business trip is to explore investment opportunities and partnerships in platinum beneficiation, the fuel cells sector and look at ways to benefit the province’s automotive sector.
“With platinum emerging as a significant energy mineral, the Platinum Valley Hub will assist the province to leverage on South Africa and Africa’s need for clean energy.
“The fact that the world’s largest Platinum Group Metal reserve, representing 70% of the global output is in our province, gives us a niche in platinum beneficiation that we need to exploit,” said Premier Modise.
The tightly packed schedule for the business trip includes a visit to the Kita Kyushu Smart Community Project and Kyushu Electrical Power Company.
Premier Modise will, as part of the week long programme, attend the Fuel Cells Expo and address a business seminar that will give the province exposure on how to maximize production of hydrogen that uses platinum.
Apart from fuel cells, the delegation will also interact with other companies in the platinum value chain, such as the Platinum Jewellery School in Yamanashi, be exposed to the Toyota City Low Carbon Society Verification Project and experience firsthand Japan’s advancement in renewable energy.
“Our Platinum Group Metal (PGM) Beneficiation Strategy and Implementation Plan developed after extensive research over the past 12 years has identified main applications for platinum in value added products, especially fuel cells, and its application in various industries such as telecommunications, automotive and other energy sectors,” said Premier Modise.
The Premier’s entourage includes the MEC for Economic Development, Conservation and Tourism, Motlalepula Rosho, the Acting Director General in the Office of the Premier, Joe Rantete, the Chief Executive Officer of the North West Development Cooperation, Mojalefa Nale and a representative of the Platinum Trust SA.
Source: South African Official News