PRETORIA – President Cyril Ramaphosa says the proposed Minister of Electricity will assume “full responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the electricity crisis response” and will drive the action of the National Energy Crisis Committee to end load shedding “as a matter of urgency”.
Delivering the SONA last week, the President announced a new Minister of Electricity to be based in the Presidency.
“The reality is that the resolution of the energy crisis requires effective coordination across several departments and public entities. It requires the undivided attention of a political principal who does not need to split their time and energies among different important responsibilities.
“This appointment will ensure that there is a Minister who is ultimately responsible for resolving load shedding and who is able to work with all fellow Cabinet ministers, departments and entities to do so,” he said.
President Ramaphosa moved to dispel notions that the new minister will cause fragmentation in the light that the Minister of Public Enterprises takes charge of state power utility Eskom and that there is a Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy.
Turning focus to the National State of Disaster declared by government in relation to the energy crisis, President Ramaphosa reiterated that the move will allow government to accelerate the implementation of the Energy Action Plan announced last July and move with urgency to mitigate the social and economic effects of load shedding.
President Cyril Ramaphosa told MPs that the country will continue to use coal as a fuel source in the foreseeable future.
More than half of South Africa’s energy is derived from Eskom’s coal-fired power stations – rendering the country heavily reliant on the sedimentary rock as an energy source.
“As we build an electricity system that will meet our energy requirements into the future, we need to dispel some of the myths that have been circulating – and that have been repeated here – about the path we are taking.
“We need to dispel this idea that we are abandoning coal as a fuel source. We should all remember that coal fired power stations provide 80% of our energy source and will therefore continue to provide the bulk of our ‘base load’ supply into the future,” he said.
The President added, however, that South Africa is also committed to a “future energy mix” including renewable, nuclear, gas, hydro, storage, bio-mass energies.
President Ramaphosa also assured MPs that unbundling Eskom and creating a competitive energy production market is a move that will wholly benefit the country’s future energy security.
Eskom is undergoing a process which will see it divided into the Generation, Transmission and Distribution entities.
“We need to dispel the claim that creating a more competitive, efficient and sustainable electricity generation market threatens the ability of the state to provide affordable electricity to its citizens.
“On the contrary, the reforms we are undertaking will improve the ability of the state to provide power to the people now and into the future,” he said.
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