#BizTrends2019: Sawea takes its transformative vision forward

As a young Industry growing rapidly within South Africa's transition away from coal, the wind energy sector has recognised the need to be transformative from the outset. Having designed a collectively-agreed Industry vision that goes beyond compliance, along with the means to achieving that vision, the South African Wind Energy Association (Sawea) will establish a baseline in 2019 against which it can measure the progress.

By Brenda Martin

7 Jan 2019

Brenda Martin, CEO of Sawea

Due to the inherently long-term nature of its business, with power purchase agreements extending over a 20-year time horizon, the Industry has set an agenda for utilising this time effectively. The core purpose: to make a measurable contribution to South Africa’s socio-economic development via five considered pathways.

These pathways are:

Management and employment

Value chain

Local community development

Access to finance

Ownership

The overarching statement and its five stated key pathways is underpinned by practical statements of support from each of Sawea's six working groups:

Wind for communities
Manufacturers & local content
Environment
Technical
Policy & markets
Operating assets

About Brenda Martin

Brenda Martin is the CEO of the South African Wind Energy Association. She has worked as a senior practitioner in the Southern African development, education and energy policy sectors for over 15 years. After implementing small-scale energy, water and food security projects in Southern Africa between 2011 and 2016, she conducted interdisciplinary applied research on energy policy at the Energy Research Centre, UCT. She has an MPhil in Energy & Development (mechanical engineering, UCT). Her dissertation focused on the politics of electricity planning in South Africa.