Central Energy Fund SOC Ltd (CEF)

The Central Energy Fund (CEF) is a Schedule 2 state-owned diversified energy company reporting to the Department of Energy. The mandate of the CEF is derived from the CEF Act 38 of 1977 and the ministerial directives issued thereafter. Its mandate is to contribute to the security of the energy supply of South Africa and the region through exploration, acquisition, development, marketing and strategic partnership.

The mission of the CEF is to: grow South Africa’s footprint in the energy sector; be the catalyst for economic growth and energy poverty alleviation through security of supply; and give access to affordable energy in Southern Africa.

Established in the 1950s, the CEF has played a central role in ensuring South Africa’s energy security supply and making a significant contribution to the South African economy by: contributing to the security of the energy supply by providing affordable, reliable, diverse use of primary energy resources, and contributing to economic development; being a strategic partner to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy by providing insights in support of policy development and regulation; aligning with government’s broad objectives (NDP); and acting as a vehicle for economic growth, poverty alleviation and economic transformation.

The vision of the CEF is to be a leading diversified energy company that provides sustainable energy solutions for Southern Africa by 2040. This way the CEF contributes to national energy security.

The CEF is responsible for five subsidiaries which operate across the entire energy sector value chain, making up the CEF Group of Companies.

As the National Oil Company (NOC) of South Africa, PetroSA’s core activities are the exploration development and production of oil and gas and the production of synthetic fuels from gas. It has operations in South Africa, Ghana and the Netherlands.
The Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) promotes and regulates oil and gas exploration and production in South Africa. It is responsible for evaluating our oil and gas resources, attracting explorers in the oil and gas sector, monitoring their exploration and production activities, and archiving data produced from these activities.
The South African Gas Development Company (iGas) develops gas and gas infrastructure through active investment in the provision of gas molecules and gas infrastructure. It is a key investor in Rompco, the commercial operator of the 865km high-pressure gas pipeline connecting the onshore gas fields in Mozambique to South Africa.
The African Exploration Mining and Financing Corporation (AEMFC) is responsible for the mining and supply of coal for the generation of electricity. It focuses on key minerals that will provide energy for the future. It supplies in excess of 1.5 million tons of coal per year.
The Strategic Fuel Fund (SFF) is responsible for acquiring, maintaining and trading strategic fuel stocks in order to ensure the country’s supply of hydrocarbons. Its core assets include steel storage facilities in Mpumalanga and the Western Cape capable of storing more than 50 million barrels of fuel.
The Energy Projects Division (EPD) is responsible for the commercialisation of new energy technologies, as a demand for cleaner, more sustainable energy supplies increases. It has a range of projects in development including the Redstone Solar Thermal Power plant, the first of such projects with molten salt energy storage in Africa.

The CEF Group of Companies have a number of strategic partnerships and operations across the globe that span across the energy value chain as directed by their mandate. They have operations in South Africa, Ghana, Mozambique and the Netherlands. They also have a number of key Government to Government strategic relationships that support the country’s security of energy supply initiatives.