A group of representatives from the government and several Economic Development and Commerce agencies from the KwaZulu-Natal province visited the Basque Energy Cluster headquarters to learn about the activities and capacity of Basque companies in the different energy sector value chains within a reverse trade mission hosted by the Basque Government.

2016 has been a year of intense activity, which is notably contributing to the strengthening of institutional and entrepreneurial relationships between the Basque Country and South Africa. Following the business mission organised in the month of May by the Basque Government and SPRI, which was led by Arantxa Tapia, Regional Minister for Economic Development and Competitiveness, and the visit of the Gauteng delegation in June, on this occasion we have welcomed a delegation formed by six government representatives, the Commerce and Investment Agency and the Maritime Cluster, all from the province of KwaZulu-Natal, where the city of Durban is located. This region is the country's largest economy in terms of GDP, only after the province of Gauteng, and it is the one with major growth potential.

Through this visit, South African representatives acquired detailed knowledge of the skills and strengths of Basque companies in different technological fields, as well as their strong international expansion and most representative support infrastructures to carry out R&D and product validation activities. One of the areas which drew most of their attention were the Smart Grids, where they believe they may learn a great deal from initiatives such as Bidelek Sareak, while acquiring information on renewable energy sources (mainly solar and wave power) and waste-to-energy technologies. One of their main concerns is to unify technological development and the implications of climate change.

The representatives were very pleased to discover the potential of the Basque business network in the energy sector as well as the driving activity of the Basque Energy Cluster. They expressed their desire to welcome Basque companies in KwaZulu-Natal in order to explore collaboration opportunities among Basque and South African companies that may contribute to promote the country's wealth with the support of the South African Government energy development plans. Although the competences and decision-making in terms of energy are in the hands of the South African Government, some provincial institutions, such as the KwaZulu-Natal's authorities, can play a key role in facilitating contact with the Government of the Republic to stimulate investments in a province that offers a great range of business opportunities.