CHAIR VOICE – SEPTEMBER 2021

CHAIR VOICE – SEPTEMBER 2021

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 10^th year in South Africa, #10yrsWind.

This year’s event will allow for conversations relating to the deployment of wind energy, in particular the regulatory and environmental policy changes. We’re also looking at how green energy facilitates the production of green hydrogen, and how that will support the transition in the transport sector locally and abroad.

Following the Windaba Conference, we also expect the DMRE to announce the preferred bidders under #BW5 by the end of October, as stated by Minister Mantashe during the ‘Ministers in the Economics Cluster’ in the National Assembly in early September. During the oral questions he reiterated that the remainder of the 6,800 MW of renewable capacity is planned for procurement before the end of March 2022 #BW6.

It is comforting to note that BW5 was met with substantial investment and commitment, which demonstrates that our industry’s developers are clearly able to address the electricity-generation needs of the country as well as its climate change commitments.

Kind regards,
Mercia Grimbeek
Chair, South African Wind Energy Association