Longyuan South Africa Renewables releases Sustainability Report – Investing R15 million annually to support local communities
Longyuan South Africa Renewables has released its latest Sustainability Report, which details the extensive funding and support it provides to local communities.
The report also highlights the performance of Longyuan South Africa Renewables’ two De Aar wind power projects, which are the largest of their kind in the country.
Longyuan South Africa Renewables released the report at an event in Cape Town, where key project leaders detailed the key findings – including the social benefits that South Africans are reaping thanks to the company.
We provide an overview of these findings, below.
Growing South Africa
Longyuan South Africa Renewables Business Development Manager David Dai began the event by delivering an overview of their green energy project and explaining the social impact.
The company’s two De Aar wind power projects can provide approximately 770 GWh of clean electricity to over 300,000 households annually.
They comprise the De Aar 1 Maanhaarberg Wind Farm Facility (DA1) and the De Aar 2 North Wind Farm Facility (DA2).
Together, these projects are home to 163 wind turbines (around 244MW installed capacity), and have been in commercial operation since 2017.
This provides extensive employment opportunities to South Africans, too, and Longyuan South Africa Renewables had invested over R77.29 million into local communities as of the end of 2023 – approximately R15 million per year.
Social development
Dai went on to highlight several of the key social development projects that Longyuan South Africa Renewables has contributed to, funded, or actively run in the country.
These include:
- Providing educational services to 469 children by establishing and operating four early childhood education centres and donating classrooms.
- Investing R4.5 million annually to implement a scholarship program.
- Supporting 304 university students through the Study Support – Dream Building – People Nurturing initiative.
- Spending R4 million on a dedicated medical bus that serves over 9,000 community members annually – with another R5 million in annual operational costs.
- Funding the renovation of local water conservancy projects.
- Investing R9 million in renovating and building local stadiums.
- Spending R840,000 sponsoring 53 local football teams – 40 men’s clubs and 13 women’s clubs, benefitting more than 1,000 athletes.
“We have also created a local training centre for our De Aar wind projects,” said Dai.
“We have been training local and young staff to learn basic wind turbine knowledge and servicing skills, before they go out to the turbines and do the work.”
He explained that these community members will receive a certification through this process, too, further enhancing the local skills base in the community.
Each of the social projects, along with Longyuan South Africa Renewables’ wind farm projects, brings positive social change to South Africa and helps the country reach its sustainable development goals.
Click here to learn more about Longyuan South Africa Renewables.
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