I would like to welcome you here today on this very significant occasion and thank you all for joining us in what promises to be a very interesting day. By the end of today, and in particular by the end of the formalities tomorrow, I hope that you will leave this gathering enthused and even more convinced that this Province is well on its way to making sure that renewable energy and energy efficiency are firmly on the Western Cape Provincial Government's agenda. We have committed ourselves to firm, decisive action in dealing with the issues of climate change, poverty and renewable energy

More importantly, you will have the opportunity to hear first hand from government and industry players about what can be done to make this Province the centre of a thriving renewable energy industry in South Africa , if not in the whole of the Southern African region.

You will know that the blackouts we experienced in the Western Cape during 2005 and 2006 have highlighted the importance of sustainable and secure energy supply to achieve socio-economic development of this Province.

Our recent work in developing an understanding, and consequently a plan of action around the impending impacts of climate change on this Province and its people, leave little doubt in my mind that strong action must be taken, and taken NOW, if we are to deal with this threat and achieve the objectives laid down in the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy. Securing our ecological capital is a crucial element to ensuring that we have a sound base for future economic development. This is the basis for the Environmental Economy - building a sustainable, clean and prosperous future for all of our people.

As you know the Provincial Government is tasked with the challenge of ensuring that the crucial issues climate change, shared growth and development, and energy security are effectively addressed. We need to address in a holistic and integrated way, climate protection, poverty and underdevelopment, environmental security, human capital development and regional investment priorities. are effectively addressed.

The Sustainable Energy Strategy has developed with all of these complex and intertwined objectives in mind.

It's thus quite clear to us that this Strategy forms a vital cornerstone in the sustainable development programme for the Western Cape . As has recently been so clearly demonstrated, energy security plays a crucial role in ensuring that the province can meet its economic, social and environmental objectives, and that it remains an attractive destination for investment. People want to live and work in a place that provides them with certain benefits and securities - and this is what we must ensure in order to continue to be home for all.

A sound energy strategy and programme is essential in addressing environmental concerns, including climate change. The need to secure sources of cleaner, non-polluting and renewable energy as part of our future development plans has become an important consideration and the Sustainable Energy Strategy and Programme of Action addresses the challenges of developing a clean energy industry in the Province.

With this in mind, you will hear from members of the energy team what the potential for renewable energy and energy efficiency are. We have spent a significant amount of time examining the problem and looking at ways to effectively address the energy and climate change challenge. We have examined a range of scenarios and possibilities, and decided on a programme of action, with clear deliverables and targets. The economic, social and environmental benefits in achieving the objectives are clear, and you will hear more of this today. We believe that the Strategy clearly spells out the opportunities for the industry and other role players and we hope you hear your inputs at this conference. I would be particularly keen to hear further ideas on how we can practically deal with improving the lives of our poor in the Province through Renewable Energy projects. We also need to deal with the challenge of unsustainable consumption of energy and build on the lessons of our experience during last year. Again the value of partnerships are critical.

We are certainly hoping that the Renewable Energy industry will play a key role in future economic development, as it has in many parts of the world including developing economies such as India and China . It is indeed interesting to note that whilst many individuals in the US and Europe made their fortunes out of the boom of the IT and the dot com era's, that the person touted to be the wealthiest person in China made his fortunes from the renewable energy industry. So it leaves one with a very strong sense that the potential for growth in this industry will provide many benefits to entrepreneurial individuals, organisations and communities who have the foresight and enthusiasm to take up the challenge of growing a new industry and tackling the climate change threat with the sense of urgency it deserves. 

Government must naturally play its role and we need to hear from you as partners in this process, what you expect from us. That is why we have this panel convened to address key issues and have some honest and frank interaction that will help us to drive this process forward in a meaningful manner.

We are moving beyond the talking. It's about action and implementation now. The focus must turn to spending time on discussing how to make it happen. Most of the sessions today are aimed at helping us take this process beyond the debating stage - time is too short and the issues too serious - so we need to know how to remove the barriers to make this industry work to the benefit of all our people. 

Our strategy and programme has been developed and refined in partnership with key stakeholders in the Province and will continue to evolve to ensure its relevance with the aim of ensuring energy security and sustainable development.  

Working within the parameters set by national government, and taking into account the various initiatives at local level across the Province, the strategy and programme seeks to:

• support economic and social development objectives in particular poverty alleviation and infrastructure development;
• address environmental issues such as air quality, energy conservation and climate change;
• foster the development of a clean energy sector; and
• support and enhance provincial investment programmes in an effective manner.

The Sustainable Energy Strategy and Programme of Action has been developed to support and complement our commitments contained in the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, The Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan and the Sustainable Development Implementation Plan, as well as contributing to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.  

I am certain that the achievement of these objectives will be further supported through the envisaged Energy Entities that the National Minister of Minerals and Energy announced in her budget speech recently. Thus our approach towards embedding sustainable development - social equity, economic development and ecological integrity - as a fundamental aspect of Ikapa Elihlumayo is proactive and bold.  

I am hoping that after today you too will share this view, but more importantly that you will leave here having had an opportunity to debate and discuss with government and other industry stakeholders, the nature of the issues we all need to tackle in order to ensure we have a thriving industry that is capable of delivering on the challenges that we face in this Province. More importantly, I hope you will have gained some clear insights into HOW you can make projects happen. 

I invite all of you as stakeholders to partner with government in further developing and refining this sustainable energy strategy and programme so that we can ensure that we continue to live up to our commitment to ensuring the Western Cape is a "Sustainable Home for All, Forever".