PE automotive companies slash power consumption

[caption id="attachment_64280" align="alignright" width="300"] ENERGY SAVVY: Siphiwe Koombella, left, and Jackson Jola assemble rear axles on the Chevrolet line at General Motors South Africa's Struandale assembly plant -[/caption]

With the stifling cost of electricity in Nelson Mandela Bay, big automotive firms have reduced their consumption by up to 35% in the last seven years.

While most of the companies attributed the reduction in their electricity consumption to new technologies, employee awareness campaigns and energy management interventions, some also attributed it to a concerning loss of production and investments.

A major shared concern for the companies was that the high cost of electricity made them less competitive on a global scale and could deter possible future investment by their mother companies.

Autocast SA executive director David Mertens said the Bay’s electricity prices had tripled since 2009, causing a shrink to the general industry and reducing economic growth.

- Cindy Preller