Exciting news for the West Coast! Saldanha Bay is positioning itself at the absolute forefront of the global green energy transition. In a major milestone for our local economy, the Phelan Green Group has signed a landmark 200 MW electrolyser supply agreement with Sungrow Hydrogen.

This isn’t just any regular business deal; it represents the largest single electrolyser order ever placed on the African continent. This crucial agreement marks the first official phase of a massive planned 800 MW electro-Sustainable Aviation Fuel (eSAF) production project right here in Saldanha Bay.

With construction officially scheduled to kick off in September 2026, the West Coast is preparing for a wave of industrial growth, job creation, and international investment.

Why Saldanha Bay is the Perfect Fit

It is no coincidence that the Phelan Green Group chose Saldanha Bay for their flagship project. The Western Cape West Coast boasts world-class renewable energy resources, incredible deep-water port infrastructure, and the dedicated Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone (SBIDZ), making it one of the most competitive locations globally for green hydrogen production.

The multi-billion-rand project has already been officially designated by the South African government as a Strategic Integrated Project (SIP), meaning it receives high-level backing to accelerate local infrastructure development.

What Exactly is eSAF?

Also known as “green aviation fuel,” eSAF is a scalable, long-term pathway to help the global aviation sector lower its massive carbon footprint.

The production facility will utilize renewable electricity harvested from a combination of local solar, wind, and advanced battery storage infrastructure. The 200 MW electrolyser will use this clean energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. This green hydrogen is then combined with captured biogenic carbon dioxide ($\text{CO}_2$) to create a synthetic liquid hydrocarbon that directly replaces conventional jet fuel.

To ensure the highest quality standards, Phelan Green also partnered with tech giant Honeywell, deploying their cutting-edge Honeywell Fischer Tropsch Unicracking Technology to scale up production.

Global Demand, Local Opportunities

The timing of this project could not be more perfect. Tightening environmental regulations in Europe and the UK—such as the ReFuelEU Aviation mandates—are forcing airlines to blend increasing volumes of lower-carbon fuels into their conventional fuel tanks or face heavy financial penalties.

South Africa is swooping in to fill that massive market gap. Once fully operational, the Saldanha Bay facility is expected to export roughly 35,000 tons of eSAF per year to EU and international markets. At peak scale, this single facility could supply approximately 6% of the projected European Union demand for green aviation fuel.

Boom Times for the West Coast Community

For those of us living and working on the West Coast, the best part of this announcement is what it means for local economic development.

The initial R47-billion private investment is geared to bring immense benefits to our region:

• Job Creation: The construction phase starting in late 2026 will create thousands of jobs across multiple technical and construction fields.
• Economic Boost: Local hospitality, engineering, manufacturing, and supply-chain businesses stand to benefit significantly from the influx of project activity.
• Skill Development: Introducing world-first green fuel technologies will provide unmatched training and specialized skills for local workers.

As Blair Phelan, Managing Director of Phelan Green Group, perfectly summed it up: “Signing the largest electrolyser order ever placed on the African continent is a defining moment… for the South African green-fuels industry.”

Stay tuned to ShopWestCoast as we track the progress of this game-changing project!

Useful Project Links:

• The Project Developer: Learn more about the company behind the initiative at the official Phelan Green Group Website.
• The Infrastructure Hub: Discover how our local economic hub drives industrial growth at the Saldanha Bay IDZ Official Site.
• Technology Partner: Read the detailed technical press release regarding the fuel processing systems via the Honeywell Press Room.

Listen to the podcast courtesy of Capetalk

Lester Kiewit speaks to Andre Truter, executive mayor of Saldanha Bay, to discuss the feasibility of moving Cape Town’s port facility to Saldanha Bay, and take advantage of the underutilised industrial area there.

He is also joined by engineer and transport researcher and author Harry Valentine about why Saldanha port could offer a better option as the province’s key port as opposed to the Cape Town operation.

Saldhana Bay is ready for growth, says the municipality’s executive mayor Andre Truter.

He’s adding his voice to those calling for Saldhana to take over from Cape Town as the Western Cape’s key port.

With its arteries of railway lines and roads feeding in and out of the area, combined with it having the biggest and deepest natural harbour in the Southern Hemisphere, Truter says it’s time serious consideration was given to the idea.

LINK

content taken from

https://www.capetalk.co.za/articles/478209/should-saldanha-be-the-wc-s-main-port-instead-of-cape-town

Eye sore

It is estimated that the new farm’s towers will be as high as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and twice as high as the Statue of Liberty in the United States. That would mean you’d be able to see them from as far as the West Coast National Park, possibly while taking in the beauty of the natural-growing flowers.
That’s a big con and many people including environmental author, Peter Pickford, who lives in the area oppose it. According to Pickford and others the new farm will have a gravely negative effect on local tourism as well as bats which, it has been found, are killed in large numbers by the towers.   

Renewable energy

A major pro of the project is the renewable energy it will generate. South Africa is currently hard hit by rolling power cuts as load shedding takes its toll across the country. Every little bit helps in the ongoing effort to get energy supply to the levels it needs to be in order for the economy to grow, and a 140MW windfarm can provide a lot of electricity. Those in favour of the operation say it will benefit both provincial and national interests. With wind one of the West Coasts biggest “products”, it makes sense to put it to good use and help save the country while also saving the planet.It’s a tough one. The best solution will be for the towers to somehow blend in with the environment and so doing preserve the spectacular beauty of the region. Unfortunately that’s quite a tall order and doesn’t seem likely.  

West Coast vellies

If you live on the West Coast you need a pair of vellies in the cupboard. That’s just a fact. If you don’t have a pair of vellies already, you need someone to buy you some and Strassbergers in Clanwilliam is where you’ll find this gift that simply keeps on giving step after step, kilometre after kilometre. Strassbergers shoe factory is the oldest shoe factory in the country, in operation since the 50s. Their vellie range is unisex designed for feet of all sizes and types and is 80% handmade.

https://strassbergers.co.za/

West Coast socks

West Coast feet need West Coast socks and few socks say West Coast like a pair of Lucky Star socks. With one of its biggest canneries in St Helena Bay, the brand has its, well, footprint all over the region. Arguably more famous than the fish in the cans, however, is the red and yellow design of the label with a pilchard looking as if its jumping for joy. The Lucky Star logo and colours have been used for designs from place mats to door stops. Now you can wear them on your feet, pulled up proudly on the one end, deep inside a pair of Strassberger West Coast vellies on the other.  

https://sockshop.co.za/index.php/lucky-star-sa-socks

West Coast chocolates & sweets

The best for last, of course. Forget Quality Street this year, in Darling there’s a sweet shop with the sweet tooth in your family’s name on. Darling Sweet has a range covering Tannie Evita’s Classic, Honey & Salt, Red Wine & Chocolate, Orange & Cranberry, Coffee, Liquorice, Mint, Bird’s Eye Chili, Rooibos Chai and Ormonde Wines toffee. To make it easier to find the right combo, they’ve put together gift hampers both bigger than a tin of Quality Street and with better (locally produced) toffees. Just add wrapping paper and you’re good to go. 

https://darlingsweet.co.za/

It goes without saying that the best gift on the West Coast is simply living here. From Shop West Coast to you: have a Merry Christmas and a happy new West Coast year.

Don’t forget to order you Back to School Stationery for 2020. Talk to West Coast Office National for the best prices and deals on the West Coast.
Receive Free Name Stickers & Free Delivery with all orders of R400 or more.

Worldwide problem

Waste, especially plastic, has become a major problem worldwide. Across the planet scientists are trying to come up with new ways to combat the tons of plastics polluting rivers and the ocean. But, with no solution found yet to have the problem simply disappear, the most effective method to reduce the impact of plastic on the environment remains to recycle used materials.

Bakkie loads of recyclables

Which is exactly what the Saldanha Bay Municipality is doing by the bakkie load. To date, over a thousand tons of recyclable household waste materials have been collected, diverted away from the landfills and recycled back into manufacturing. The project has created 46 employment opportunities within the local community, a number which is set to grow in the coming years. 

Award-winning municipality 

In 2018, Saldanha Bay Municipality’s won the Silver Award in the Municipal Category at the Eco-Logic National Environmental Awards beating all other municipal entries in this category, except the City of Tshwane who won the Gold Award. And they’re bringing the important recycling message to the youth. During the recent Recycle Week, the municipality partnered with the West Coast National Park and Sea Harvest to hold a schools promotional and educational event.

The video was created by Dean Paarman – Head of West Coast Office National Digital Marketing. Talk to us about making a video to showcase your good news stories.

“Efficiency Innovation”

Transnet’s new train will transport manganese from Sishen to Saldanha Bay and is based on a business model the company calls “efficiency innovation” that saw them opt for a longer train, instead of spending billions on new infrastructure. The mega train will increase the amount of manganese transported from Sishen to Saldanha annually from four million tons to five million tons.

With manganese known as a premium export and one of the most profitable bulk freight products, the effect the new train will have on their bottom line is significant. According to Transnet, the mega train will add some R375 million to their revenue base. And as if boasting the longest train on the planet is not enough, the company’s export of manganese has been growing exponentially from five million tons in its 2012/13 financial year to a record-breaking 15.1 million tons in 2018/19. 

Driven by Passion

Best of all is, the world’s longest train is steered by none other than 33-year-old Elizia Clark from Paternoster. Clearly born on the right side of the tracks, Elizia has been working for Transnet’s Freight Rail division for six years. With a thorough knowledge of the landscape between Sishen and Saldanha, Elizia is set to add many more ground-breaking years to what is already an impressive track record.

Media by Creamer Media

What on earth is not to like?

If you listen to talk around braai fires and in the media, it’s enough to have people leave the country in droves and, yes, the mood in South Africa at present is glum. The AccelorMittal steel plant closing its door is a major blow to the West Coast and its people. Crime, corruption, poverty and violence against women are challenges South Africans deal with on a daily basis. Bad as that is, “packing for Perth” is not the way to go.

Imagine this: you’re sitting snugly in your new home in Canada watching as the snow falls outside and there, on Facebook, comes the news the Springboks have won the Rugby World Cup, again. Pictures and videos of the national trophy tour flood your newsfeed – because most of your Facebook friends are still South Africans – showing the Boks atop an open-top bus parading the William Web Ellis cup in BRIGHT SUNSHINE. 

Now imagine braai-ing chops not from the Karoo on the coals of wood that’s not Kameeldoring. Looking around standing at your sorry braai, you’ll probably notice the cramped confines of a London backyard, grey skies above and another week riding an underground train to a job you probably hate staring you in the face. 

“But the weather is the same in Australia,” is something one often hears. “And there they have no crime.” Now, both of those statement cannot possibly be entirely true. Australia is literally on the other side of the world with a completely different climate and, since Australians are as imperfect as the rest of humanity, they also have criminals and social injustices. We not saying Australia, or anywhere else for that matter, is a bad place to be. In many ways it can be easier, better, safer…. but one thing remains, it’s not home.

The grass is as green here as it is in the UK or the US or wherever it is that grass was invented. Wherever you go, you take your troubles with you so perhaps – at the end of the day – it makes a lot more sense to say #imstaying and stay put in a country where we know how to solve problems.

The Western Cape Government is committed to keeping the growth and investment potential of the West Coast alive. More than a billion Rand has already been invested in the greater Saldanha Bay region.
(Ref: Cape Talk Interviews Alan Winde)
http://www.capetalk.co.za/articles/362274/one-on-one-with-winde-first-thursday-event-gives-public-access-to-the-premier
The infrastructure will not crumble under the loss of one giant. Let’s not forget the growing potential of small to medium sized enterprises. There is a huge population of skilled artisans on the West Coast, we are in the land of budding entrepreneurs & our time is now.

Support a local business. Open a local business.
And then list your business with us for FREE.

#weskusimstaying

Dean & Darren from Travelvids.tv wake up early to explore the West Coast near Cape Town. Enjoy great scenery from an Yserfontein Sunrise to Flower-hunting near Darling.

What if there are no flowers?

Not to worry, these two will show you a myriad of places to visit, explore. Darling is home to entrepreneurship and culture.
Read more about Darlings top businesses from earlier this year:

Looking for a business in Darling? Let’s see, we should have it listed.

Superior seawater

Why the amazing growth? Well, the reason is two-fold. In the first place, JSP produces some of the finest – if not the finest – abalone in the world thanks to the water in its tanks. The farm circulates 36 000m³ of seawater per day, or 1,5 million litres per hour, of seawater through the abalone tanks. And it’s not just any old sea water. 

The sea water on the Cape West Coast is brought close to land by the cold Benguela Current – a current favoured by the Haliotis midae abalone species because of the temperature of its water that rarely rises above 25 degrees Celsius. Add to that the high nutrient content of the Cape West Coast’s ocean water and it’s easy to see why, for abalone, the region is heaven under water.

Big in Japan (and Asia)

The second reason for JSP’s remarkable growth is the ongoing high demand for South African abalone in the East. Asia is the farm’s biggest export destination, a market it goes to great lengths for canning or drying their larger animals. Abalone is a status symbol on that side of the world, used to impress wedding guests and business partners because of its high cost. In addition to Hon Kong and Taiwan, the farm supplies select restaurants on the West Coast.

Pillar of the community

Jacobsbaai Sea Products employs 55 people from the Jacobsbaai community who ensure the operation runs smoothly around the clock 365 days a year. And despite challenges brought on by load shedding – the tanks require circulation at all time – the farm’s focus on quality and dedication to the nurture and growth of its abalone will surely ensure its own growth for many years to come.

GO TO JSP LISTING

An eye for business

Found on the farm Alexanderfontein, the creamery came into being when increasing interest rates left owner NJ Basson Sr no choice but to put his interest in numbers and business to work to pay off the farm.

His Holsteins were already producing more milk than other herds in the region which meant supply was in place. NJ’s son Nicolaas took charge of sales and made the daily trip to Atlantis to sell bottles of milk from the back of his bakkie. Today, Nicolaas’s bakkie has been replaced by a fleet of trucks.

West Coast the best coast… for cows

It’s no wonder the Bassons took Darling as the name for their business. The Holstein cows of the region – bred and developed in North America to yield high milk volumes – benefit greatly from the cool sea breeze pushing in from the Atlantic Ocean. When temperatures rise too high, the cows become stressed and milk yields drop. Conditions are so conducive that the herd on the farm Swartwater 12 kilometres from the coast is in fact known as the Ocean Breeze cows.

A “blou pypie” on a yellow label

Chances are you’ve noticed the yellow, green and blue Darling label in the fridge at your local supermarket.

The company’s products are for sale, and selling, in stores far and wide as they take the high-quality dairy produced on the West Coast to the people of South Africa.

As a symbol of the Basson’s family’s courage to buck trends and strike out on their own, the Darling logo features the “blou pypie” – a flower endemic to the Darling region not afraid to grow alone.

Built on trust

With trust as their guiding principle, the Darling creamy has formed long-term relationships with suppliers stretching over several decades.

And with profits viewed second to quality – the company will not sell products they deem unfit for their children – the brand has fostered customer loyalty which is vital for the sustainability of any business.

Milk builds strong bones and teeth. It’s packed with vitamins and the first thing on the shopping list to make sure everyone has something to put in their coffee, Rice Krispies and whatever else is simply not the same without milk. Darling Creamery provides Darling and the country with this all-important household ingredient, and so much more.

Go to Darling Romery Listing:

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