Investments in the energy sector

Facing an increased demand for energy, South Africa will invest in the next twenty years in this sector and will thereby create some very interesting investment and cooperation opportunities for European companies. Some large companies in the energy sector already have put themselves in a good starting position in order to be able to benefit from the growth in this particular sector. There are also several opportunities for medium sized businesses. The demand is especially high when it comes to knowledge and technologies in the field of power plant engineering.

Energy-mix at the cape

The government also plans investments and projects in the field of renewable energy. It is estimated that until the year 2020 almost 15% of the national energy requirement will be covered by renewable sources. The government currently aims to increase the production of renewable energy by 10.000 Giga-watt-hours until 2013, equaling 4% of the national power demand. Among other projects, South Africa is mainly focusing on hydro-electricity, solar technology and the development of renewable fuel. The Clean Development Mechanism, a development aid and climate protection project for the implementation of the Kyoto protocol, offers possibilities for the financing of such projects in the field of renewable energy. Moreover, South Africa offers opportunities for cooperation in the sector of research and development. Until now European companies take only little advantage of these possibilities.