Energy minister calls for tighter electricity efficiency

Energy efficiency is the country’s best hope in the short term to meet electricity demand in the face of tight supply, Energy Minister Dipuo Peters said on Tuesday.

In view of serious capacity limitations, infrastructure development was a lengthy process and would not in the interim address an electricity crisis, Peters told an energy indaba in Johannesburg.

Peters said there would be particular focus on encouraging an energy efficiency ethos at the municipal level.

“Energy efficiency is our best hope in the short term of balancing electricity supply and demand,” the minister said.

“It is a fact that it also results in the reduction of municipal revenues and we would be doing a disservice if we did not confront this problem.”

She said the government sought to put in place a reward approach for efficient energy practices to compensate for revenue loss.

“Without this instrument being offered to municipalities they will be inclined to resist energy efficiency,” Peters said.

Metros needed to get old power stations up and running again and functional power stations also represented an opportunity to create revenue, Peters said.—Sapa