In a major step in securing a sustainable energy supply for South Africa's future growth and development, the South African National Energy Research Institute (Saneri) was launched at the Sandton Convention Centre on Monday, 19 February 2007.

Falling under two government departments, Minerals and Energy, and Science and Technology, Saneri is a wholly owned subsidiary of CEF (Pty) Ltd. It has been set up as a vehicle to generate new ideas and develop practical guidelines on how South Africa can best utilise its natural resources to produce clean and renewable energy.

Addressing guests at the launch, Science and Technology Minister Mosibudi Mangena said appropriate energy models and good management of natural resources were essential for southern Africa to avert its looming energy crisis.

"The establishment of Saneri will support government's commitment to a sustainable energy future," he said. "As such, Saneri will have, as a primary objective, the advancement of public-interest energy research and development."

Saneri had a key role in the transformation of the region's energy system into one less dependent on imported fuels, and less harmful to the environment, he said.

"In this way, energy efficiency, which includes improvements in the use and storage of energy, will be enhanced, thus addressing the pressing challenges of security of supply and climate change."

Mangena addressed Saneri's role in developing knowledge on the "emerging hydrogen economy", saying that solving the problems posed by the new energy regime would place South Africa on the geopolitical stage.

"These research and development challenges of the hydrogen economy are more than energy challenges," he said.

"Problems of supply, storage and distribution need to be solved, and these issues require efforts in other research and development domains, such as in the development of platinum catalysts."

The directive establishing Saneri was issued in 2004 by Mangena and Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka, then minister of Minerals and Energy. A total of R20-million has already been invested to get its work going, with over R100-million to come over the next three years.

Also speaking at the launch was Saneri CEO Kadri Nassiep, formerly the chief director of Minerals and Energy. He said that CEF (Pty) Ltd, as a "major role player in the commercial development of energy technologies", was the logical home for the institute, "the perfect foil for the R&D supported by Saneri".

"For public interest energy R&D to be successful, it has to involve rapid commercialisation and ensure cleaner, safer and more affordable energy service delivery," Nassiep said.

"Saneri will operate initially as a research management agency, supporting both human capital development and strategic projects through the state funding it receives."

Nassiep said Saneri will support research in the following priority areas:

• Energy infrastructure optimisation
• Energy efficiency and demand-side management
• The impact of energy use on the environment
• The use of energy to stimulate socioeconomic development
• Cleaner fossil fuel use, including clean coal
• Renewable energy
• Alternative energy sources, including fuel cells and hydrogen
• Energy planning and modelling
• Energy policy research

"We are committed to working with all role players, including our [state-owned enterprises], universities and universities of technology, private consultancies and of course government," Nassiep said.

"It is only through this collective effort that we can help shape our destiny and ensure a cleaner, brighter and safer future for our people."