Mabele Fuels said in a statement on Tuesday that it particularly welcomed the manifesto’s explicit commitment to encourage investment in biofuels production for agricultural job creation and achieving greater energy self sufficiency.
Industrial growth
Since the release of the 2007 Biofuels Industrial Strategy, Mabele Fuels said it has answered the call from the government for private sector investment in developing South Africa’s biofuels industry.
The company has participated extensively in key government consultations on the development of the industry regulations and said it is ready to make a sizable multi-billion rand investment.
The company says the government’s Industrial policy action plan identifies biofuels as a contributor to industrial growth. The national development plan identifies biofuels as a future option for liquid fuels and economic infrastructure development.
Refinery
Mabele Fuels joint CEO, Zahir Williams, said: “The development of South Africa's biofuels industry has the ability to deliver large scale job creation that will help raise employment levels in rural areas in particular.
"We implore the government – in particular the energy department - to finalise the long outstanding biofuels regulations."
Mabele Fuels is at an advanced stage of readiness to make a R2.5bn investment to develop and operate the country's largest bio-ethanol refinery in Bothaville in the rural Free State.
Williams said: “In making this call on the government, we are proactively and conscientiously responding to the call on the private sector to invest and partner the government in job creation, industrial and rural development."