Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Derek Hanekom and Saneri CEO, Kadri Nassiep.

During an official visit to the South African National Energy Research Institute (Saneri) offices, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Derek Hanekom pledged his ongoing support for the objectives and goals of CEF (Pty) Ltd's latest addition to the family.

Hanekom's visit was intended to give him an overview of Saneri's activities following the company's official launch in February this year. The Department of Science and Technology is one of the key stakeholders in the company. Together with the Department of Minerals and Energy, it has been instrumental in setting up the company as a vehicle to generate new ideas and develop practical guideline on how South Africa could best utilise its natural resources to produce clean and renewable energy.

The CEO of Saneri, Kadri Nassiep, presented Hanekom with a summary of the company's corporate plan for 2007/8 and highlighted the key deliverables for the coming financial year. Saneri is set to work closely with the government, the private sector, and academic institutions, providing internships and support for post-graduate studies.

It will fund chairs of energy research at a number of universities across South Africa, with the main offices at the University of Stellenbosch. Already a total of R20-million has been invested to get Saneri's work going, with over R100-million to come over the next three years.

The deputy minister also had an opportunity to share his vision of the future of Saneri and engage the staff on matters of national interest that would impact on Saneri's business.