Page 13 - Energize July 2021

NEWS

RENEWABLE SECTOR WORKS TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY

GOALS AND A JUST ENERGY TRANSITION

decade into South Africa’s renewable energy programme, evidence of a maturing sector Performance practitioners is absolutely
continues to come to the fore, most recently with the launch of a programme that will critical in enabling the development
A lp the sector to be a legitimate actor in the just energy transition, through deliberate outcomes of the REI4P to be realised.
he
involvement in the sustainable development goals of the country. “Capacity building requires relevant
The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REI4P), is training offerings that assist with
recognised as a highly effective policy instrument, designed to accelerate and sustain private professional development and career
investment in renewable energy by channelling private sector expertise and investment, and pathing opportunities, allowing people to
additionally plays a significant role in the social landscape of South Africa. envisage career progression in the sector. It
Now, with the launch of the Initiative for Social Performance in Renewable Energy (INSPIRE) also needs practitioners to be networked,
last week, the country will have a centre of excellence to drive leadership in the energy transition have safe spaces to convene and exchange,
through training, convening, research and innovation. multi-stakeholders to be facilitated to drive
“It can be said that the sector is certainly coming of age. With a baseline of information problem solving and innovation, and for
gathered over the last ten years, through planning and executing socio-economic development relevant knowledge to be curated and made
(SED) initiatives for renewable energy projects, we are ready to shift from compliance-driven accessible,” added Dr Wlokas
initiatives to more impact-driven programmes. Our vision is to see more collaboration amongst She went on to explain that up until a
the independent power producers (IPPs) and also with other sectors of the economy, such few years ago still, this initiative would not
as mining. Collaboration will enable us to co-create programmes with the communities, and have been possible. The industry needed
at the same time, pool our resources to ensure more impactful initiatives, which INSPIRE, to get to a stage where it could flex a
will help us capacitate,” explained Ntombifuthi Ntuli, CEO of the South African Wind Energy collaborative muscle that could encompass
Association (SAWEA). the entire REI4P as an eco-system.
INSPIRE, led by Synergy Global Consulting under the guidance of Dr Holle Wlokas, aims to “I believe that we needed this time
advance the field of social performance in South Africa’s renewable energy sector, by creating to mature as a sector to have meaningful
a centre of excellence to drive leadership through learning, knowledge sharing, partnership conversations about economic development,
and innovation. social impacts, human rights, community
Speaking at the launch of this programme, which is implemented in partnership with WITS relations and social license. We are now
University, Dr Wlokas highlighted the advancement of the maturing REI4P sector and the growing at a point of no return, as the renewable
understanding of the complex challenges, to make a meaningful and long-term contribution to the energy sector has gained traction in the
development trajectory of communities and economies around the country. country, the energy transition is unstoppable
“As the sectors understanding of economic development and the wider field of social and collectively we can find ways to ensure
performance has matured over the past couple of years, we have seen companies grow dedicated that the industry has the capacity to tackle
teams to manage the work scopes. The number of professionals employed in this scope has the country’s toughest socio-economic
risen from a mere handful at the onset of the REI4P to close to a hundred, and more even when challenges head on,” concluded Dr Wlokas.
counting site-level Community Liaison Officers,” she explained.
Learning from more established industry sectors, it is recognised that the capacity of Social About INSPIRE
INSPIRE is led by Synergy Global Consulting
and its founding partners Actis, Lekela
Power and BTE Renewables. The founding
partners provided seed-funding to establish
this initiative. The industry associations,
namely SAWEA and South African Photo
Voltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) are
implementation partners of INSPIRE. The
respective Associations’ Working Groups are
envisaged to benefit from partnering with
INSPIRE in driving their objectives.
The first three training courses will be
implemented in the second half of 2021 and
the first half of 2022 through the Synergy
Global Consulting and WITS University
partnership. The first course is open for
registrations on www.inspire-excellence.net

Contact SAWEA, Tel 10 007 5655,
admin@sawea.co.za

energize | July 2021 | 11