The Free State’s geographic location is ideal for renewable energy projects in South Africa. This is as the country battles to end load shedding.
These sentiments were shared by the Minister of Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, at the Free State Investment Conference in Bloemfontein.
Ramokgopa believes that if all avenues are explored the province could be a game changer.
He says the Free State has the advantage of optimal radiation levels, vast land and grid capacity.
According to the minister, Letsatsi Solar Power plant just outside Bloemfontein is an example of what the country should invest in.
The plant produces 64 megawatts and has an excess of 16 megawatts that is immediately available to relieve the pressure of load shedding.
Five municipalities have been identified to replicate this project in the province.
“Because the province has got three major advantages; first, the quality of the sun, the radiation level and the number of days that we have the sun and the number of hours that we have in a day where there’s good quality sun. (The) second one has the ample land in addition to the land that they use for agricultural activities; there’s land that remains unused. And the third one is that they got great capacities. So, if you look at the Cape provinces, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and Western Cape they have limited or they have exhausted their grid capacity. So, they have got three key ingredients to enable projects of this magnitude to happen,” says Ramokgopa
The Broll Property Group, one of the role players in the Free State Investment Conference, says it hopes to help in aligning some aspects of the strategic initiatives.
Broll Property Group Director Bathobile Chime says they would like to collaborate with other small businesses to attract local and international investors.
“We sit on the advisory side to help businesses decide where they should be and how they should be operating. So, our intention about being here today is to facilitate some of those interactions between the investors, as well as the attendees and local businesses here. So, we operate here from the Free State as well, so we are working for alignment and partners,” says Chime.
Trade and investment
The Free State government says the Investment Conference aims to explore trade and investment as a pillar of the province.
MEC for Small Economic Development, Thabo Meeko, says this arises from the province’s strategic location at the heart of the country connecting six provinces including Lesotho.
Meeko says the discovery of gas as a natural resource in the province is another milestone in the improvement of the economy of the province.
“We are now going into the second phase of the investment of the gas exploration. Out of it we can derive benefits, one of them is gas to energy. Second of which is very key to building capacity in the downstream, is the processing of that gas. We are told that companies who are operating in tiles, doing glass benefit a lot.”
Local small business owners say the investment conference will help to open markets for them.
Owner of HSV Empire Vuyani Hlazo says the exhibition will help expose their products to potential investors and get their products on shelves that are dominated by international business.
“We wish to meet the right people who can channel us and assist us in entering the market. Because we’ve done our groundwork and have created a high-quality product. But what we need now is to enter the market. The markets are still owned and are biased to old international products. So now, we still need to change that narrative and have our products in these big markets.”
Business showcase their products at the conference:
The Free State government says engaging local and foreign investors about opportunities that exist is key. It is hoping to secure investment pledges.
