South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has officially joined the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies conference as a partner. Taking place September 29 to October 3 in Cape Town, the event is the largest energy event on the continent, convening global and regional stakeholders to discuss strategies for making energy poverty history. DIRCO’s participation reflects its commitment to engaging global partners and promoting South Africa’s energy interests and is expected to unlock new opportunities for collaboration.
DIRCO’s participation comes as South Africa advances a just energy transition, striving to establish its own approach to addressing both the energy and climate crises. Rich in a variety of natural resources – from oil and gas to solar and wind to green hydrogen, nuclear and coal – the country seeks to facilitate greater investment across these industries. By strengthening bilateral relations through agreements that focus on attracting foreign investment and technology transfer across the entire energy value chain, DIRCO is at the forefront of South Africa’s global energy engagement. The department’s AEW: Invest in African Energies partnerships reflects its continued support for transforming the country’s energy systems through global ties.
AEW: Invest in African Energies is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit www.AECWeek.com for more information about this exciting event.
South Africa offers a suite of bankable energy projects, and DIRCO has been making strides to engage foreign investors on these opportunities. In the oil and gas space, the country represents a promising frontier, with identified resources across both onshore and offshore basins demonstrating the potential for major discoveries. Driven by the newly-established state-owned oil company – the South African National Petroleum Company – the country is spearheading fresh exploration efforts and promoting frontier acreage to global companies. Ongoing projects include a five-well drilling campaign by Shell in the Northern Cape Ultra Deep block, a two-well campaign by TotalEnergies in the Orange Basin and the onshore Virginia Gas Project, led by Renergen. With a Gas Master Plan currently review and plans to promote licensing opportunities, South Africa is gearing up to welcome a surge of foreign investment across the oil and gas market.
South Africa’s energy opportunities for beyond oil and gas, with critical reforms being implemented across the broader energy market. Faced with power generation and transmission challenges, the country has sought to entice greater private sector investments across the renewable energy and power value chains. Recent efforts to achieve this include unbundling the state-owned utility Eskom, opening transmission infrastructure to independence power producers, fast-tracking project approvals and advancing its Integrated Resource Plan and Renewable Energy Masterplan – both of which pave the way for expanded solar, wind and battery storage deployment. These reforms aim to bring new generating capacity online while enhancing the penetration of renewable energy across the energy matrix.
Global partnerships have become a cornerstone for achieving these goals. The country signed on to the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JET-P) in 2021, striving to tap into a diverse capital pool to fund its transition. Under the JET-P, pledges were made by the European Union, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, with subsequent pledges made by The Netherlands and Denmark. According to the South African Presidency, the country requires $100 billion to facilitate its JET Investment Plan, with $13.8 billion – comprising grants, concessional loans and commercial debt – pledged by international partners as of February 2025. Yet, the country still faces a significant investment gap, highlighting a strategic opportunity for foreign partners and project developers.
“DIRCO’s participation at AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025 is expected to bridge the gap between foreign companies and South Africa’s energy opportunities. By facilitating global cooperation across strategic sectors, the department will support the country’s energy goals by serving as a vehicle for improved foreign relations,” states Tomás Gerbasio, VP Commercial and Strategic Engagement, African Energy Chamber.
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