Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to interrogate the available data on ocean current energy resources around South Africa (SA) which ultimately may be utilised for the generation of electricity. Flanking the SA coastline are two predominant currents: the warm Agulhas Current with a Western boundary and the cold Benguela Current with an Eastern boundary. The Agulhas Current flows towards the South Pole and the Benguela towards the Equator. It has been found that the Benguela current has mean flow speeds which range from 0.11 m/s to 0.23 m/s and transports between 15 and 20 Sv (Gyory, et al., 2012). These values indicate that the Benguela Current flows too slowly to drive marine turbines. The Agulhas Current has been found to have approximate transport values of 70 Sv (Bryden, et al., 2005) and thus is further investigated.