Building the Business Case for Low-Carbon Industrial Spaces to support the Just Energy Transition
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The United Nations Industrial Organization (UNIDO) is implementing a project – Fostering Low Carbon and Positive Energy Industrial Spaces (LC-PEIS) - with funding from the Government of Flanders. Launched in April 2025, the project is implemented in partnership with GreenCape, the National Cleaner Production Centre South Africa and the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), under the guidance of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the Department of Electricity and Energy. The project supports the development of more sustainable, energy-resilient and competitive industrial spaces in South Africa.
As part of the project, a national study has been commissioned to assess the role of Industrial Development Zones (IDZs), Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and similar industrial areas in advancing South Africa’s Just Energy Transition. Five industrial spaces were selected to through a defined set of selection criteria to strengthen the evidence base on the GHG-reduction potential of industrial energy systems.
Each site will receive technical assistance for detailed energy assessments, which will inform high-level energy masterplans and the identification of a prioritised pipeline of low-carbon energy projects.
