11 October 2011, Copenhagen, Denmark: The South African Renewables Initiative, SARi, will be officially launched with international partners at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP 17) hosted by South Africa in Durban in December 2011, South African Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Thandi Tobias-Pokolo announced to the Global Green Growth Forum, (3GF), a leading global think-tank, meeting in Copenhagen on 11 October 2011. The Deputy Minister described the South African Renewables Initiative as “an innovative financing mechanism aimed at ensuring the scalable development of a renewables energy industry in South Africa”.
Deputy Minister Tobias-Pokolo reinforced the South African government’s key green industrial development priorities: “Success for SARi would mean enabling the Integrated Resource Plan’s targets for renewables to be met or exceeded, without painful costs to the fiscus nor to the consumer. This could create around 40,000 jobs, contribute up to 15% of South Africa’s Copenhagen Commitment and decarbonize exports by up to 30%. Through SARi we are seeking to complement our contribution to global negotiations with immediate and practical domestic action and partnerships that will bring South Africa into the ‘green race’, creating the growth and jobs we need”.
Media Release and Media Statement by DTI
Pamphlet: SARi at the Global Green Growth Forum
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