Cabinet thanks energy savers

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Pretoria - Cabinet has expressed its gratitude to energy consumers for responding to the call to use less electricity, said the Minister responsible for Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation in the Presidency, Jeff Radebe.

This comes as the country is facing energy constraints that have been characterised by incidents of load-shedding.

“Cabinet expresses its gratitude to all energy consumers for responding to the call to decrease the usage of electricity. The process to address the energy challenges is receiving the highest priority attention,” said the Minister.

He added that the War Room established by Cabinet in December 2014, led by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa is moving to fast-track the implementation of a five-point plan to turn the current situation around.

The five-point plan covers:

  • The interventions that Eskom will undertake in the period over the next 30 days;
  • Harnessing the cogeneration opportunity through the extension of existing contracts with the private sector;
  • Accelerating the programme for substitution of diesel with gas to fire up the diesel power plants;
  • Launching a coal independent power producer programme; and
  • Managing demand through specific interventions within residential dwellings, public and commercial buildings and municipalities through retrofitting energy efficient technologies.

In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered in Parliament, President Jacob Zuma dedicated much of the SONA to reveal plans that are in motion to deal with the country’s electricity challenges.

Energy constraints hinder economic growth and are also a major inconvenience to economic growth, the President said. – SAnews.gov.za