South Africa Launches COM-PRES to Align Renewable Energy with Social Development

South Africa’s Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has welcomed the launch of a new research program examining how private renewable energy projects can drive social development and equity in the country.

The four-and-a-half-year initiative – Communities and the Private Renewable Energy Sector: Distributing Social Development Benefits in South Africa (COM-PRES) – will engage local stakeholders, communities and industry representatives to develop evidence-based recommendations for improving the socioeconomic impact of renewable energy investments.

“Projects like COM-PRES, which support the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program, are encouraged as they generate knowledge that can bolster innovation and investment in South Africa’s renewable energy sector,” stated Dion George, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, South Africa.

COM-PRES aims to evaluate how social development interventions – including community trusts tied to independent power producers – can address inequality in affected communities. The study aligns with South Africa’s broader just energy transition agenda and efforts to integrate social development into energy infrastructure development.

The initiative is led by Dr. Marianne S. Ulriksen of the University of Southern Denmark and implemented in collaboration with the Center for Social Development in Africa at the University of Johannesburg and the Center for Social Science Research at the University of Cape Town.