Dear Members
As we continue our drive for increased wind power procurement support SA’s push of the Climate Agenda, the relevance and importance of educating school learners becomes increasingly relevant. With this in mind, we invite our members to once again support the EnergyDRIVE, which has already actively engaged with an estimated 4 000 learners over the last four years.READ MORE
Dear Members
As our country continues to bare under the weight of strangled energy availability, we now expect BW5 preferred bidders to reach financial close by the end of June, or late September 2022, pushed out from end-April, which was just six months after the bidders announcement, in October last year. The original timeframe was actually very tight considering the complexity of the market and scale of the procurement process.
This is something that our Policies & Markets WG is unpacking, namely the ideal timeframe for projects to reach financial close, which needs to be short enough so that pricing from suppliers and contractors can be as close as possible to the pricing that was bid on, and long enough so that all permits, consents, and the Eskom budget quote can be obtained as well as for all agreements to be negotiated and finalised.
Preparations for #WindAc Africa 2022 (11-13 October) are already underway, with our call for students to apply for sponsorship already live on the WindAc Africa website. The sponsorship covers the conference fee; travel and accommodation expenses; a student workshop; as well as the very popular networking event.
We bid farewell to Letlhogonolo Tsoai, Technical Programme Officer, who has been a valued member of our team over the last 2 years. We have commenced the recruitment process for a Senior Technical Advisor, which is a key role as this person will lead the management of all SAWEA working groups, manage research objectives amongst other key functions.
Kind regards,
Niveshen Govender
CEO, South African Wind Energy Association
Dear Members
April was a very busy and fruitful month, with the opening of BW6 undeniably being the highpoint, as it signposts a period of rolling wind power procurement. As we celebrate this REIPPPP bidding window, which will bring rise to the much-needed additional 1600MW of wind energy in SA, we simultaneously keep pushing to unblock the challenges around reaching Financial Closure of the RMIPPPP and BW5 projects, which continues to drag.
READ MORE
Dear Members
As we continue to observe global advancements in Wind Energy, we can clearly see that South Africa is no different, as evident in the Global Wind Energy Council’s ‘Capturing Green Recovery Opportunities from Wind Power in Developing Economies’ report. The research indicates that our sector has the potential to deliver R150-billion in gross value-add to the economy over 25 years, something that we are all working towards.READ MORE
Dear Members,
I would like to begin by thanking everyone who has welcomed me warmly. I have stepped into the role of SAWEA’s CEO, at a time that our industry is experiencing exponential growth, transformation and expectation to support the country’s economic recovery.READ MORE
Dear Members,
I would like to welcome you all to yet another exciting wind energy year. We have much to celebrate and look forward to with the anticipated BW6, expected to be announced during Febuary as well as BW5 financial closure scheduled for April.READ MORE
Dear Members,
As we approach the end of 2021, we take a moment to acknowledge how blessed we are to be part of very few sectors in the country that are indeed experiencing exponential growth. With a decade of wind power in South Africa already under our belts, we are making strides to take up a far more significant percentage of the country’s energy mix in the next decade.READ MORE
Dear Members
Following a very successful Windaba 2021, which celebrated a decade of wind power in South Africa, the industry is feeling more energized. This year’s conference was certainly a celebration of the rebirth of our sector and aligned well with the ramping up of new deployment and rolling procurement, which is expected.
Dear Members,
We are just days away from the Windaba Conference and Exhibition 2021 kick-off, which we are so pleased is back as a physical event again. This year’s conference is part of our celebration of the wind industry’s 10th year in South Africa, #10yrsWind.READ MORE
Dear Members,
Whilst the industry is in the throes of finalising REIPPPP BW5 submissions, which are due soon (16 August 2021), we are reminded of the role that women play in our industry. In fact, many teams, working on these submissions will include pioneering women who are striving to help make our industry better, larger, more transformative, and more resilient than ever. These women lead Development, Finance, HR, Economic Development and other key roles across the value chain.
So, we’d like to take the opportunity, to thank and honour women in our industry, as we join the rest of the country in celebrating Women’s Month. Looking to the SAWEA board, which is led by our Chair, Mercia Grimbeek, we are thankful to another five women board members, who help guide and serve our Association and the industry at large. Similarly, SAWEA’s staff has a resounding 90% women contingent.
We will be honouring and sharing news on our various social media platforms this month, showcasing gender-based opinions and achievements. This includes leadership comment, industry data, funding and development. In addition to our social media campaign, we will also be hosting a Women’s Month panel discussion around gender diversity, hosted by our Gender Diversity Working Group – see details below in the Events section.
This month’s ‘Developing the Local RE Value Chain’ webinar series, is focused on business prospects for transportation and logistics companies in our sector, which forms a substantial part of the value chain and will become increasing important and we embark into a period of exponential growth, so please be sure to join us on 19 August.
I wish you all a safe and successful month ahead.
Kind regards,
Ntombifuthi Ntuli: CEO, South African Wind Energy Association
