GREEN TECH

The fully-fledged state-owned enterprise

In the last two years, the Atlantis Special Economic Zone has made significant strides in putting the company on the right track to begin doing business with investors.

BY ATLANTIC SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE

Building a Special Economic Zone is akin to constructing a city. It evolves gradually. The Atlantic Special Economic Zone (ASEZ), unlike other SEZs in the country, does not have a decade to get off the ground. We must move much more quickly and set a good example.

When the 2020 fiscal year began, the ASEZ had no business scheduling, no land, no capital and were still on Wesgro’s books because we were unable to open our own bank account due to the lack of a business scheduling and no offices.

The Atlantis SEZ Company (ASEZCO) is now a fully-fledged state-owned enterprise and the land acquired from the City of Cape Town, through a shareholders’ agreement, is now on ASEZCO’s balance sheet. Our first tranche of capital for civil works in the zone has been approved and we have been independent of Wesgro since 1 April 2022. We now have a debt-free asset of R60-million with all the necessary systems and structures in place.

The above is our greatest achievement. ASEZCO prides itself on the work we do with the Atlantis community. Some of the programmes we have successfully implemented are to be celebrated as much as the above two milestones.

Above and below: The Atlantis Change Challenge 2022 aims to create awareness around the concepts of a green economy and introduces the ASEZCO’s objectives to the youth.

ATLANTIS CHANGE CHALLENGE 2022

Atlantis Primary and High School pupils have for a month had the opportunity to take part in the Atlantis Change Challenge and show how renewable energy can bring positive change to communities. Many of the pupils knew little about renewable energy before taking part in the challenge.

Working in collaboration with Soapbox South Africa, a number of workshops were held to introduce the students to the renewable energy concept and to also help them start with building their prototypes. Equipped with the workshop teachings and enthusiasm, the students applied themselves and gained a thorough understanding of green tech to come up with practical solutions.

Ten high school teams participated, and first prize in the high school’s category went to the Atlantis School of Skills for their elemental classroom solution model, with Atlantis Secondary School in the second and third place with their Keeping it Green and Infinite Energy models. Ten primary schools also took part, and Team Hybrid, Fantastic Four and Team Renewable Energy, all from Wesfleur Primary School won the first, second and third place prizes for primary schools. West Coast College also joined the challenge, building incredible models.

The Atlantis SEZ is surging ahead with an all-inclusive strategy to build a strong power-producing plant. The SEZ is expected to attract R3.7-billion in investments over the next two decades.

One of the aims of establishing the Atlantis SEZ was to unlock the underlying economic value of existing and under-utilised infrastructure through the creation of a green tech manufacturing hub.

Situated on the West Coast 40km from Cape Town, the SEZ capitalises on the province’s booming renewable energy and green technology sector. It supports the manufacturing sectors to become component manufacturers for the renewable energy industry.

Top row, centre: Jarrod Lyons, CEO, ASEZCO, says that the company runs enterprise and skills development programmes to afford opportunities for employment in the sector.