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The South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) will participate at this year’s edition of the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energy conference – scheduled for 4–8 November in Cape Town - as a bronze sponsor and Energy Efficiency Partner. The sponsorship underscores its dedication to advancing innovative energy technologies for the sustainable development of the South African economy.

SANEDI initiated a program aimed at fostering collaboration on research, development, and implementation of green hydrogen technologies between South Africa and Japan in February 2024. The program is expected to attract up to R300 billion in investment from Japanese firms over the next five years, significantly boosting the South African economy. Energy market developments such as this will be showcased during AEW: Invest in African Energy. During the conference, SANEDI will facilitate discussions on lucrative investment and partnership opportunities within South Africa's power and energy sector.

AEW: Invest in African Energy 2024 is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit www.aecweek.com for more information about this exciting event.

SANEDI announced a comprehensive plan for state-utility Eskom to stop load shedding within the next six months in February 2024, demonstrating its commitment to leveraging research and development of new business cases to enhance South Africa's energy landscape. The plan includes optimizing the performance of existing coal power plants to increase Eskom's Energy Availability Factor from 51% to 70%. SANEDI is also working with municipalities, utilities, academia and consumers on research, development and adoption of energy efficiency technologies to reduce energy consumption and strain on the national grid. The agency provides tax reductions for energy efficiency technologies and equipment through its 12L Tax Incentives.

Additionally, SANEDI is spearheading the rollout of 10 smart grid pilot projects under the EU Donor Funded Smart Grids Program to modernize the power grid and reduce outages and utility operational costs, demonstrating the state agency’s commitment to using new technologies to advance energy market growth.

In the transport sector, SANEDI launched a program to promote electric mobility within South Africa's private transport sector in February 2024. The program will introduce 39 electric buses and associated charging infrastructure in the City of Tshwane and eThekwini, leveraging $4.7 million in investments secured from the Development Bank of Southern Africa.

SANEDI has played a pivotal role in advancing energy security and decarbonization in South Africa since its inception in 2011. The agency’s programs, including the Applied Energy Research – which provides the government with information on best practices to secure energy supply – have been instrumental in monitoring and facilitating progress on energy efficiency, smart grids and energy access.

“Improving energy access and grid security in South Africa requires the integration of the country's entire energy resource base, alongside technologies and business cases such as energy efficiency and smart grids. SANEDI is a champion in spearheading the development and utilization of such solutions,” stated NJ Ayuk, the Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber.

During AEW: Invest in African Energy, SANEDI will showcase its project pipeline, strategic plans, and investment and partnership opportunities across South Africa's energy value chain, reaffirming its commitment to driving sustainable energy development in the country.