South Africa urgently needs to know that its energy supply is secure, experts said on Monday.
Norman Ndaba of auditing firm Ernst & Young’s energy department said valid questions were being asked about the consequences of fossil-fuel and nuclear-power sources.
He said with the spectre of global warming looming ever larger, activists, environmentalists, governments and societies were increasingly advocating renewable, clean energy sources as a non-polluting alternative.
”South Africa and its energy utility, Eskom, must face hard realities, the most pressing of which is the need for rapid improvement to the generation capacity,” he said.
He said with renewable energy sources being steadily introduced around the world, governments and societies were becoming more aware of the threat posed by fossil fuels.
”The hard decisions that South Africa is facing are a direct result of steep growth of the economy and the subsequent unforeseen demand for electrical power,” he said.
Demand for electricity was unlikely to subside, and additional capacity was required as a priority.
He said the country was compelled to look to power sources that were both readily available and cheap.
That means additional coal-fired power plants.
”South Africa has massive deposits of coal, which are easily mined and therefore provide a low-cost energy source,” he said.
”Coal results in emissions … there is little choice if Eskom is to meet energy requirements in the short to medium term”.
Ndaba said wind-generated power has made vast technological advances.
Statistics from The Netherlands showed that electricity generated from wind energy had more than tripled since 2001.
Last year, 2,4% of overall electricity consumption in that country was generated by wind turbines.
”This may result in this technology being more feasible in the South African environment.”
Ndaba said South Africa produces very little of its power from renewable energy.
Ndaba notes that Eskom has for some time examined renewable power sources.
”At the present moment, however, it is simply a stark reality that South Africa will have to look to her coal resources first to meet the immediate demand for electrical power,” he said. — Sapa