HomeEventsOpportunities with UNIDO
Register
Register
Register

Project cooperationUpdated on 29 June 2026

DESA Programme: Electrochemical Systems Engineering for Hydrogen and Chlor-Alkali Integration

Kgolongwana Austin Hlapa

Executive Director & Project Lead | Industrial Systems & Energy Transition | BMSA NPC at Blouberg Municipality Sustainable Agriculture (BMSA) NPC

About

Blouberg Municipality Sustainable Agriculture (BMSA) NPC is a South African non-profit organisation focused on the development of integrated Water–Energy–Food–Industrial systems supporting resource efficiency, infrastructure resilience, and industrial decarbonisation.

The organisation implements applied research and demonstration-oriented programmes across sustainable agriculture, water systems, clean energy, and industrial process technologies. Its work is based on system-level integration of infrastructure, resource flows, and technology-enabled development models for scalable regional application.

BMSA serves as the institutional host of the DESA Programme (Dynamic Electrochemical Systems Architecture), an applied systems engineering framework for electrochemical manufacturing and industrial energy systems.

The DESA Programme integrates chlor-alkali membrane electrolysis, PEM hydrogen electrolysis, process modelling, system identification, and early-stage digital twin development. The framework is currently at TRL 4–5 and focuses on system analysis, performance optimisation, and pre-pilot design for electrochemical systems operating under variable renewable and grid energy conditions.

The programme targets the co-production of hydrogen and industrial chemicals within integrated electrochemical systems, with applications in water treatment, mining, and chemical manufacturing sectors.

Core activities include:

-Electrochemical system modelling and optimisation

-Feasibility studies for hybrid industrial energy-chemical systems

-Pre-pilot system design and validation frameworks

-Applied research and technology transfer in electrochemical systems

The DESA Programme bridges research and industrial application through collaboration with universities, research institutes, industrial technology providers, engineering EPC partners, and public-sector stakeholders.

BMSA participates in national and international cooperation frameworks, including BRICS-aligned innovation ecosystems, with focus on electrochemical systems, industrial sustainability, and infrastructure transformation.

Stage

  • Conception phase
  • Prototype available

Type

  • Capital contribution
  • Entrepreneur looking for Investors
  • Strategic Partner
  • Technological contribution

Organisation

Blouberg Municipality Sustainable Agriculture (BMSA) NPC

NGO / Civil society organization

Johannesburg, South Africa

Similar opportunities