The Belgian based company has thrown its weight behind SA, following recent events that hogged headlines worldwide with a simple affirmation: ‘the company will remain in the country’.
Chief executive officer at Upgrade Energy Africa (Pty) Ltd CEO Raf Vermeire, pledged that the company would remain in the country to help create and construct power supply through the numerous Renewable Energy projects already in the pipeline.
Despite numerous claims by local and overseas media that multi nationals are being cautious and that direct foreign investment is likely to be curtailed or withdrawn, Vermeire stated that Upgrade Energy’s view is quite the opposite.
“We entered the South African energy landscape in 2009 and established a subsidiary company, Upgrade Energy Africa. We have already invested countless resources into the local economy. Our stance has always been to play the long game despite the many challenges faced by foreign investors such as political instability” he said.
“We have already cemented solid relationships with numerous community leaders and created partnerships in the private mining sector and some municipalities. We estimate that the growth in the number of local job opportunities will be substantial as we draw expertise and manpower from the region where the projects will be situated”, says Vermeire.
Upgrade Energy Africa also has a strong presence in Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Uganda and the DRC.
One of the minister’s I had a chat with also gave thumbs-up to the group for its commitment to SA.
Upgrade Energy, which is headquartered in Belgium, has a presence in a number of countries around the world from which numerous projects have been realized and has offices here in both Johannesburg and Durban.
Upgrade Energy Africa is a pioneer IPP (Independent Power Producer) in the field of wheeling.
This is a process whereby electricity is generated at a renewable energy facility and then transported from within an electrical grid to an electrical load outside the grid boundaries.
In a simpler sense, it refers to the process of transmission of electricity through the transmission lines.
