A five-year, ZAR9.35 million programme has been launched to boost the South African energy industry.

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s (CSIR) Energy Industry Support programme will support SMMEs interested in or already part of the energy sector and fill skills gaps in the sector. Engineering News reports that it is expected to encourage innovation by providing technical expertise, thereby empowering innovators and the labour force, and address the lack of funding for SMMEs.

According to Aradhna Pandarum, CSIR acting research group leader, ‘we are trying to narrow down what research is required for us to have a just energy transition in South Africa and […] increase our economic growth to help people on the ground whose livelihoods will be affected by it. This energy industry support programme emerged from creating ownership and customer ownership for the energy sector and in the energy landscape’.

29 November 2022
Image: Unsplash