Accelerating the expansion and modernisation of South Africa’s national transmission grid is a critical priority and we fully support the collaborative work being driven by the Energy Council of South Africa to achieve this. The coordinated focus is essential for unlocking the country’s greatest energy opportunity: a private sector-led transition to a resilient, renewable-powered energy system.

By enabling more renewable capacity to connect to the grid, we can directly enhance the country’s energy security and advance the decarbonisation of the industrial sector.

The country is at a pivotal moment where supportive policy and industry are converging to unlock massive investment in solar and wind resources. This transition presents a powerful dual benefit. Firstly, it helps to resolve the energy deficit by rapidly deploying new generation capacity, and secondly, it drives the economy’s long-term decarbonisation. This creates a foundation for sustainable growth and enhanced industrial competitiveness, positioning South Africa as a potential leader in the green economy. 

At Air Liquide, sustainability is at the heart of our business strategy. Accordingly, together with our partner Sasol, we are proud to be the largest private offtaker of renewable energy in the country. In August, the Damlaagte PV facility started commercial operations, supplying 97.5 MW of renewable power directly to the Secunda site, home to Air Liquide’s operations that support Sasol’s synthetic fuels and chemicals operations. This project is the first to supply renewable power under our joint procurement programme through which we have already secured almost 700 MW of renewable energy. Air Liquide will be allocated 400 MW from this program, which is projected to reduce CO2 emissions of the units we operate by about 1.2-million tonnes a year, contributing directly to our goal of decreasing CO2 emissions associated with oxygen production in Secunda by about 30% to 40% by 2031. 

Through our direct actions and collaboration within the Energy Council of South Africa, we are contributing to unlocking a sustainable energy future for the country.