Minister of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies and Minister of Energy Dikobe Ben Martins Trade will launch the commissioning phase of two Coega Development Corporation (CDC) investor projects this weekend.
The commissioning of key Coega projects will be launched on Sunday, March 9, from 9am until 1pm, at the CDC Business Centre, in the Coega industrial development zones (IDZ).
The projects reaching commissioning phase are the DCD Wind Tower facility and the Agni Steels mill, major energy and metals sector developments.
The ministerial visit is highly significant, the CDC said today, adding that the projects launched are the fruition of key government policy mandates and interventions as well as commitment from the Eastern Cape Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism MEC Mcebisi Jonas.
“The projects contribute significantly to national goals for socio-economic development, enshrined in definitive government policy on development, including the National Development Plan, New Growth Path and the fifth iteration of the now long line of Industrial Policy Action Plans,” said Ayanda Vilakazi, CDC head of marketing and communications.
“Likewise, the CDC is priming itself for transition from IDZ to SEZ; and given positive investment attraction trends over the past three years, we are set to enter the SEZ environment with a clear advantage and head start because of our existing significant achievements.
“Hosting the two ministers is a milestone as neither have been to the IDZ recently and as a result have not seen the massive construction and investment momentum. Their support and launch of the projects at commissioning phase shows commitment to the Coega project and more broadly socio-economic development.”
DCD Wind Towers
The newly-established DCD wind tower facility, a subsidiary of an international manufacturing and engineering company, officially started construction work on its R300-million, 23 000m² wind tower manufacturing facility in May, 2013, in Zone 3 of the Coega IDZ.
The wind tower manufacturing facility, which started producing towers this month (March 2014), is a joint initiative between DCD Group, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the CDC, which manages the Coega IDZ. The facility is expected to create close to 200 jobs, and produce between 110 and 120 wind towers per year.
Agni Steels SA
Agni Steels SA, which also started operating this month (March 2014) has invested R400-million in a steel plant in Zone 6 of the 11500Ha Coega IDZ. Agni Steels will operate in a high-tech smelting facility to produce mild steel billets from scrap metal. The plant produces steel billets being exported to India and other African countries during the first phase of the project.
A second and third phase is also planned – adding to the total investment value. The Coega plant will use 10 000 tonnes of scrap metal every month during the first phase and this will double to 20,000 tonnes in the second phase. A total of 300 jobs are expected to be created.
“These three projects – FAW, DCD Wind Towers, and Agni Steels – represent a coming of age of the Coega IDZ and are a testament to the investment attraction abilities of the CDC,” said Christopher Mashigo, CDC business development executive manager. “But they also mark an important milestone in both foreign and domestic direct investment in the context of the overwhelming needs of immediate service delivery and the even more critical need for sustainable jobs in South Africa, particularly the Eastern Cape.”
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