Globeleq, the leading private power generation company in Africa, has been awarded ‘African MegaWatt Leader Award in Renewables’, at this year’s Power in Africa Awards, held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 8th June 2015.
This award honours the organisation that delivers the most renewable power on the ground across Africa. “This is a great accolade for our organisation, considering that our three renewable energy power plants have only been operational for a year,” said Mark Pickering, Managing Director of Globeleq South Africa.
Globeleq, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Globeleq South Africa Management Services, operates and majority owns three independent power producing utilities, as part of the South African Government’s Renewable Energy Independent Procurement Programme (REIPPP). These are De Aar Solar Power, Droogfontein Solar Power and Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm, which collectively, generate enough clean renewable energy to power over 138 000 average South African homes. South Africa’s renewable energy programme has prioritized job creation and skills development in order to grow the economy and sustain the industry over time. During construction of the three projects, almost 2000 people worked on the sites. Most of those employed were drawn from local communities living within a 50km radius of each of the sites. 1.5% of project revenues are invested in socioeconomic and enterprise development programmes, thereby creating the skills to support the ongoing growth of the renewable energy industry.
The Africa Energy Forum is the only international forum focussed on power generation for Africa with attendance restricted to stakeholders from the power sector. Held in a different city each year, African Ministries, utilities and regulators return from across the continent to meet and do business with prospective investors and power developers from Europe, Asia, Middle East, North America and South America.
