SAWEA South Africa

The South African Wind Energy Association, abbreviated SAWEA, represents the wind energy industry in South Africa and organizes Windaba, the premier wind energy conference and exhibition in Africa, held annually in Cape Town. South Africa has emerged as the largest wind energy market on the African continent, with over three gigawatts of installed wind power capacity connected to the national grid through the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, known as REIPPPP, launched by the South African government in 2011. SAWEA represents wind energy developers, independent power producers, turbine manufacturers, construction contractors, operations and maintenance companies, and professional service providers active in the South African wind sector. The association advocates for policies supporting renewable energy expansion, grid connection for wind farms, local content requirements under the REIPPPP, and community development investments by wind energy projects in surrounding rural areas of the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Western Cape provinces.