Enel produces 20% of the country’s green energy

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The Enel group has been present in South Africa since 2011. It is therefore not surprising that the country manager of Enel Green Power in the country, Manuele Battisti, was the main exponent of the business world invited to the Johannesburg conference, organized by the Italian embassy in Pretoria and by Sole 24 Ore as the last foreign stop on the way to the Trento 2023 Economics Festival.

The subsidiary Enel Green Power South Africa, which deals with renewable energy generation plants, is present on the African continent to participate in projects that allow rapid electrification at sustainable costs in areas that often lack electricity. The realization of these projects is usually possible thanks to calls for tenders managed by governments to involve companies in development projects. EGP South Africa today owns and operates 12 power plants (for a total capacity of around 1,250 megawatts): seven wind farms and five photovoltaics, which represent around 20% of the country’s installed renewable energy capacity. The company recently won Round 6 of the Renewable independent power producer procurement process for two 300-megawatt wind projects. It has also signed PPAs, i.e. long-term energy supply contracts, with two large private entities for a cumulative contractual capacity of 220 megawatts (2 wind projects) and is finalizing a PPA negotiation for an additional 110 megawatts.

The Enel group is then active through the Enel Foundation: since 2018, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it has been carrying out the Open Africa Power training program, for the construction of a platform for students or alumni of African universities in the sectors of engineering, information technology, law and business, selected on the basis of merit. The goal is to provide a holistic knowledge of the electricity sector, increasing the skills needed to work for the electrification of Africa. The program is co-managed by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and now has more than 400 alumni from 37 African countries, 50% of whom are women.

«For us, the relationship with the local communities is really important – explained Manuele Battisti during the event -. All over the world we work to transform the potential negative impact of our industrial activities into a positive impact on local communities. Sustainability, both environmental and social, is our priority».