Call for Expressions of Interest: UNIDO/NCPC (South Africa)

What is on offer?

• Technical assistance and co-financing in the form of grant funding for:
  • Solution providers (e.g. project developers, technology and/or service providers) looking for support to implement water-energy nexus projects in South Africa.
  • Companies interested in implementing adaptation-oriented technologies and practices to increase the resilience of critical energy and water services.
  • Qualifying projects not selected for co-financing through this initiative will be assisted to develop bankable business proposals and linked to other suitable financial mechanisms.

What are the target sectors?

• The target sector is agro-processing, with a preference for medium to large enterprises.
• The primary targeted critical services are energy and water supply.
• Secondary areas are transport, waste beneficiation and mobility.
• Target subsectors include (but are not limited to) dairy, fruits processing (peels and pulp, apples, grapes, oranges, olives), breweries and wineries, sugarcane, and pecan nuts.

Project duration: January 2022–December 2024.

What are the project partners looking for in the EoI?

• Concrete examples of climate change adaptation projects to showcase the benefits of climate-resilient approaches in pilot companies.
• Climate resilient energy and water services to increase the resilience of manufacturing plants in the target sector, such as:
  • Digitisation and automation of energy and water management;
  • Decentralised renewable energy;
  • Smart mini-grids and batteries; and
  • Water reuse and energy storage programmes.
  • Projects involving partnerships between the private sector, solution providers and academia, with strong gender representation.

Eligibility Criteria

• There are two windows of opportunity and applicants must clearly indicate to which one they are responding, window 1 or 2:
  • Window 1: Project developers, technology and/or service providers looking for co-financing and/or technical assistance to implement water-energy nexus adaptation projects in South Africa, with a focus on agro industries.
  • Window 2: Industries in the agro sector looking for co-financing and/or technical assistance to implement adaptation-oriented interventions (among others, energy and water audits, followed by the methodological approach of climate-smart capital investment planning to prioritise, prepare and structure the technology investments).

For more information, visit UNIDO/NCPC.