The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) has announced the re-appointment of Mercia Grimbeek as Chair, for a second two-year term. Grimbeek, who has served on the Board of Governance since 2018, has been part of South Africa’s renewable energy sector since its inception, eleven years ago. She will continue to lead the board which is charged with steering the wind energy sector and advocating for a clean and affordable energy mix, of which wind energy is a dominant part.

Grimbeek, together with the board, which also remains unchanged, will usher SAWEA into a period of unprecedented growth, with the ramping up of new deployment and rolling procurement, which is expected.

“My vision has always been to see wind power as an emancipator of transformation and growth in South Africa with SAWEA at the helm and the association has a key role to play, now more than ever.  As our country joins its global counterparts in driving down carbon emissions, on the home-front our battle is just as pertinent as we continue to push for an accelerated transition to increased energy availability characterised by significantly larger percentages of green electrons in our power supply,” Grimbeek says.

Board members hold strategic leadership roles in their respective organisations, and therefore bring immense experience in the wind energy sector and particularly the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), ensuring that the organisation is well positioned to provide leadership to the broader industry. The board represents a blend of developers, IPPs and OEMs, encompassing the critical role players in the wind energy value chain. SAWEA operates as a common law, voluntary not-for-profit association that represents the South African wind industry. The Board is primarily concerned with issues of governance and strategy.

Contact SAWEA, Phone 010 007-5655, admin@sawea.co.za, https://sawea.org.za