Inaugural Tshwane Energy Summit 2024: Addressing the City’s Immediate Energy Challenges with Collaborative Solutions

The City of Tshwane faces persistent challenges in its energy landscape, stemming from energy insecurity exacerbated by loadshedding and the resulting impact on residents, businesses and infrastructure.

Despite national developments on electrifications, the country still relies heavily on fossil fuels, leading to pollution of the environment and climate change. Loadshedding not only affects the daily lives of Tshwane residents, but also hampers the cities’ economic sustainability and infrastructure maintenance efforts. Additionally, damage to electricity infrastructure and criminal activities add to the complexity of the situation.

To tackle these energy challenges head-on, the City of Tshwane is launching the inaugural Tshwane Energy Summit 2024, taking place from 19-20 June 2024 at the Sunbet Arena in Menlyn, Pretoria.

Organised by the Tshwane Economic Development Agency (TEDA) in partnership with the City of Tshwane, the summit aims to drive sustainable energy security through public-private partnerships, engagements with academia, research institutions and investors.

“The Tshwane Energy Summit 2024 represents a critical milestone in Tshwane’s pursuit of a unified strategy on renewable energy,” says Paseka Rakosa, Senior Manager: Marketing, Communications and Stakeholder Engagement at TEDA. “By bringing together key stakeholders from across sectors, the event is poised to chart a course towards a more resilient and sustainable energy future for our city.”

As urban centers emerge as pivotal advocates for global action on climate change, cities like Tshwane are assuming greater responsibility in ensuring a steady supply of clean, low-carbon energy.

The summit serves as a call to action for energy practitioners and companies to showcase proposed solutions aimed at alleviating the city’s electricity insecurity, excessive infrastructure damage, and minimising criminal activities.

Moreover, it invites key sectors of the economy, including Renewable Energy, Green Technology, 4iR, Automotive Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), Automotive Component Manufacturers, Electrical Vehicle Manufacturing, Agriculture, and agro-processing, to join and explore alternative energy supply solutions to drive economic growth and sustainability in Tshwane.

Rakosa says the event format of the summit is designed to facilitate meaningful dialogue and collaboration.

 “We are looking forward to bringing together like-minded private and public stakeholders, not only to talk about the urgency of our collective energy challenges, but to detail a roadmap as to how these problems can be addressed together, with the end goal being to strike up meaningful connections that foster improved collaboration and cohesion and drive change.”  

Through keynote addresses, plenary sessions, and sector-focused, solution-driven roundtable discussions, participants will gain valuable insights and practical solutions on navigating the complexities of the energy sector.

Executive Mayor of Tshwane Councillor Cilliers Brink will kick off the 2-day event and set the stage for an impressive line-up of speakers, all prominent industry players.   

These include Sello Mphaga, Divisional Head of City Sustainability and Chair of the Energy Task Team at the City of Tshwane will lead a session to deliberate on initiatives falling under Tshwane’s Energy Response Plan and Climate Change Plan to accelerate urban development, with a focus on building sustainable cities and reducing and assessing greenhouse gas emissions.

CEO of Trenex and Chair of South African National Energy Association Kiren Maharaj, will provide insights into South Africa’s Municipal Energy Framework.

The exhibition platforms will showcase cutting-edge technologies and energy-related products, while networking opportunities and deal-making rooms will foster connections and partnerships.

Rakosa concludes: “Through the inaugural Tshwane Energy Summit, TEDA reaffirms its dedication to ensuring energy security for all users and uses in Tshwane, while promoting energy efficiency and a transition to renewable energy. This is a must-attend event for energy companies, set to be the premier gathering of energy industry leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders focused on driving sustainable energy solutions for the City of Tshwane and beyond.”

For more information about the summit and to register to attend or exhibit, please visit TEDA’s website: https://teda.org.za/tes2024/

About Tshwane Economic Development Agency

The Tshwane Economic Development Agency Ltd (TEDA) is a municipal entity of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (CoT). TEDA is a State-Owned Company, registered in terms of the Companies Act and was established with the primary objective to accelerate the City’s economic development. TEDA does this by:

• Promotion and facilitation of investments into the City of Tshwane;
• Retention of current investors in Tshwane and ensuring they have expansion support;
• Capacity development for emerging exporters to make them export-ready;
• Promoting exports by Tshwane companies to international markets;
• Catalysing infrastructure-led growth and revitalising existing nodal economies;
• Positioning the City for tourism growth through destination and tourism marketing.

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