With a development pipeline exceeding 53GW and more than 3,8GW already contributing to the national grid, South Africa’s wind energy sector is rapidly solidifying its role in the country’s clean energy future.
This has taken a new forward with the official launch of the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM), a co-ordinated national roadmap to unlock the country’s full green energy potential.
Forming part of the contributors of SAREM, SAWEA joined other key role players as they signed the masterplan pledge, led by the Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy Samantha Graham-Maré at the Africa Green Hydrogen Summit in Cape Town.
“The masterplan presents a strategic opportunity to align and coordinate the acceleration of renewable energy with the need to balance affordability and green industrialisation,” explains Niveshen Govender, CEO of the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA).
“Through SAREM, we can invest in and streamline localisation efforts – driving local beneficiation and fostering sustainable development through the rollout of renewable energy.”
SAREM offers a unified vision to drive South Africa’s energy transition, while placing inclusive industrial development, economic transformation, and localisation at the centre, with wind energy positioned as a key pillar of delivery.
“SAWEA welcomes the formal adoption of SAREM and looks forward to working closely with the government, labour, and community stakeholders to ensure its successful implementation. It represents a moment of alignment – one that sets the foundation for building a sustainable, secure, and equitable energy future for all South Africans,” concludes Govender.