TOWARDS AN EQUITABLE TRANSITION TO A LOW-CARBON CLIMATE-RESILIENT ECONOMY

The document outlines the potential for South Africa to expand its local wind energy industry, noting that while some components like towers and transformers are produced domestically, most turbine parts are imported. It highlights the need for targeted industrial support, such as concessional finance and the development of precast concrete facilities, to increase local content. The text also notes that South Africa's Integrated Resource Plan targets a wind energy share of 21% (17,742 MW) by 2030, which would require approximately 5,000 new large turbines.

• South Africa's current domestic manufacturing in the wind energy sector is limited to specific components, namely towers, transformers, and some cabling.
• The Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) targets a wind energy generation mix of 21%, equivalent to 17,742 MW, by 2030. To meet the 14,000 MW of new capacity indicated in the 2019 IRP by 2030, the country will require roughly 15,000 blades and 5,000 new large wind turbines.
• Between August 2021 and September 2022, 149 MW of wind-based generation capacity was registered with the National Energy Regulator of SA following amendments to the Electricity Regulation Act that raised the licensing exemption threshold from 1 MW to 100 MW.
• South Africa possesses significant growth potential in the mining of chromium and manganese, where it is ranked first globally in reserves.
• To support local growth, the document recommends configuring industrial support for manufacturers, exploring toll manufacturing for towers, producing steel and aluminium to correct specifications, and upskilling staff for technical roles.

APA

Rivett-Carnac, K. (2022). TOWARDS AN EQUITABLE TRANSITION TO A LOW-CARBON CLIMATE-RESILIENT ECONOMY. WWF South Africa. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wind_energy_value_chain_factsheet.pdf

Chicago

Rivett-Carnac, Kate. TOWARDS AN EQUITABLE TRANSITION TO A LOW-CARBON CLIMATE-RESILIENT ECONOMY. WWF South Africa, 2022. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wind_energy_value_chain_factsheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rivett-Carnac |first1=Kate |title=TOWARDS AN EQUITABLE TRANSITION TO A LOW-CARBON CLIMATE-RESILIENT ECONOMY |publisher=WWF South Africa |date=August 2022 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wind_energy_value_chain_factsheet.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rivettcarnac2022towards, author = {Rivett-Carnac, Kate}, title = {{TOWARDS AN EQUITABLE TRANSITION TO A LOW-CARBON CLIMATE-RESILIENT ECONOMY}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2022}, month = aug, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wind_energy_value_chain_factsheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }