GDF Suez said it is considering investing in South Africa’s wind energy sector after the release of Nersa’s renewable energy feed-in tariff (Refit). The company already has a substantial renewable-energy fleet, with such sources accounting for more than 20% of its current production base. Besides cogeneration, hydro and biomass production, GDF Suez also has wind facilities in Canada, France, Portugal, Italy and Belgium, and has set a target of doubling its renewable-energy capacity by 2013.
Speaking at the recent Power & Electricity World Africa 2009 conference, which was held in Johannesburg in April, business development vice president for Southern Africa Maarten van der Horst said the Refit created a "strong incentive" for renewable investments. "We are interested mainly in wind power generation," Van der Horst said, adding that the tariffs proposed as from 2009 created an environment for investors to "seriously" consider investing in South Africa.
"From our perspective, the Refit is a very good start to establish renewable energy generation sources in South Africa," Van der Horst concluded.