Belgian Head-Quartered renewable energy company, Upgrade Energy Africa (Pty) Ltd, has spoken out in support of South Africans who are currently repairing their communities’ infrastructure. 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.
Vermeire arrived back in South Africa on Monday 19 July 2021 undeterred by the events which took place last week and the ongoing unrest. 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overseas media that multi nationals are being cautious and that direct foreign investment is likely to be curtailed or withdrawn, Vermeire stated that Upgrade Energy’s view is quite the opposite.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.
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.
“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.
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.
ENDS
For further information contact:
Raf Vermeire | CEO
www.upgrade-energy.africa
E: raf@upgrade-energy.com
T: +32495 248628
Emil Unger | Director
www.upgrade-energy.africa
E: emil@upgrade-energy.com
T: +2782 4659825
Published on Times Live