SA should become self-sufficient in energy – minister

ENERGY Minister Tina Joemat-Petterson wants South Africa to source as much of its energy needs locally as possible, and has started the process to appoint a non-political expert panel to achive this objective.

"We need to work towards energy sovereignty so that South Africa would no longer be as vulnerable as it currently is to geopolitical developments which are outside our control," Joemat-Petterson said in her budget vote speech in parliament yesterday.

She placed much emphasis on nuclear energy as a sustainable energy source, emphasising that coal would remain an important source of energy even as the search for more environmentally friendly energy sources continued.

Therefore, solar, wind and hydro-electric energy sources would continue to be exploited more and more, both locally and regionally in southern Africa.

Joemat-Petterson emphasised that her department was exceeding its target in access to electricity with almost 300000 households newly connected to the national power grid last year, as the DA acknowledged later in the debate.

But the minister had to agree that the country faced a skills shortage, but said students would be supported to arrest the skills shortage.

The draft Gas Utilisation Master Plan was nearing completion, she said. Joemat-Petterson committed government to more affordable solar heating units, and to "structural changes in the industry", though she did not elaborate much.

The DA attacked the monopoly Eskom held over electricity provision, with DA MPs Lance Greyling and Gordon Mackay arguing that independent power producers be given the opportunity to provide more power.

The DA and EFF referred to the inability of municipalities to provide local energy needs. Greyling pointed out that Eskom was indebted to the tune of R250-billion, blaming "state monopoly thinking". - Jan-Jan Joubert