CEO Voice - September 2025
Dear SAWEA Members,
September has been a month of clarity seeking and a momentum push for South Africa’s energy transition. Fittingly, during Heritage Month, we are reminded that our work is about building a legacy, one where energy security, climate resilience, and economic inclusion become defining features of our future.
The Minister of Electricity’s announcement on load reduction once again underlined the urgency of addressing grid capacity. This challenge is not new, but it is becoming more pressing. For SAWEA, it reinforces the need for decisive action on transmission reform and investment, because without it, wind projects remain stranded, and investment opportunities delayed. With the South African Wholesale Electricity Market (SAWEM) preparing for launch in 2026, clear rules on the Market Operator License will be vital for restoring investor confidence and unlocking the next wave of capacity. To this end, SAWEA will embark on a capacity building exercise in partnership with NTCSA on the SAWEM School, ensuring more access to vital information required to ready the wind industry.
On the global stage, South Africa’s renewed commitments at the UN General Assembly served as a reminder that our industry sits at the heart of both national and international priorities. Wind power is more than electrons on the grid, it represents jobs, industrialisation, and pathways to inclusive growth. As such, our choices as an industry have impact well beyond energy security.
The B20 recommendations released this month also bring a sharp focus on transition finance, accelerated permitting, local manufacturing, and youth and women participation. These are not abstract policy points, they echo the imperatives of the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM). For SAWEA, the priority is to turn recommendations into delivery, and to ensure our members remain active participants in shaping those outcomes.
The appointment of the new Head of the IPP Office is a significant and welcome development. At a time when procurement certainty and reform are urgently needed, her leadership offers an opportunity to restore predictability and rebuild investor confidence. SAWEA has already engaged with her office, and a dedicated IPPO roundtable at Windaba will provide members with the platform to engage directly on procurement schedules, flexible bid designs, and grid access.
With Windaba 2025 now only weeks away, our theme — Break the Gridlock! Wire for Growth! is apt. This year’s programme brings together DoEE, Eskom, NERSA, NTCSA, IPPO, and many other critical partners. It is here that we will align on procurement reform, system planning, and the socio-economic transformation agendas. Windaba remains the wind industry’s flagship convening space, where debate translates into solutions and where SAWEA members can lead the conversations that matter most.
September has shown us that South Africa’s transition is advancing, not only through frameworks, but through leadership and alignment. As SAWEA, we remain committed to ensuring the wind industry’s voice is amplified, that barriers are addressed head-on, and that our sector continues to deliver stability, growth, and a just energy transition for South Africa.
Warm Regards,
Niveshen Govender
CEO
