Pretoria - The Draft Gas Amendment Bill 2013, which seeks to review compliance monitoring and enforcement in the natural gas sector, is now available for public comment, the Department of Energy (DoE) said on Thursday.
“Cabinet approved the Draft Gas Amendment Bill for publication to solicit public comments on 17 April 2013.
“The window period for the submission of comments remains open until 3 July 2013. Stakeholders are urged to submit comments well within this period to assist the department to duly consider them and, where applicable, incorporate them in the bill sooner,” said the DoE.
Other than to review compliance monitoring and enforcement, the bill aims to address new technological advancements in both conventional and unconventional gas, including transportation medium such as liquid natural gas (LNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG).
The draft will align activities and provide improvements that will help achieve the objectives set out in the Gas Act.
Natural gas was formally legislated for the first time through the Gas Act, 2001 (Act No. 48 of 2001) by the then Department of Minerals and Energy.
In response to changes in the gas industry landscape and foreseeable future changes, the DoE embarked on a process of amending the Gas Act.
The department pointed out that orderly development of natural gas was critical in ensuring security of energy supply, with natural gas featuring prominently in the country’s energy mix, for economic growth and competitiveness.
“Unless the current loopholes and omissions in the Gas Act are addressed, the country runs the risk of an underdeveloped natural gas sector throughout the value chain and the consequent failure to ensure security of energy supply,” the department said.
The draft bill was presented to Cabinet for consideration on 28 March 2012, as approved by Minister Dipuo Peters. It was then returned for the department to, amongst others, consult specific departments within the Economic and Infrastructure Development Cluster.
Consultations with the relevant departments were undertaken and their comments were duly incorporated into the draft bill. The State Law Adviser pre-certification opinion and pre-certified bill was obtained on the 14 February 2013.
The Gas Amendment Bill is accessible on the Department of Energy website; www.energy.gov.za or can be accessed on the government website; www.gov.za.
The public can contact Stella Mamogale [Tel: 012 406 7529; Cell: 083 705 9043; E-mail: stella.mamogale@energy.gov.za]; or Bulelani Ncanywa [Tel: 012 406 7537; Cell: 073 119 3916; E-mail: Bulelani.ncanywa@energy.gov.za] for any enquiries.
Written comments may also be hand-delivered to the department at: The Department of Energy, 192 Visagie Street (Cnr. Paul Kruger & Visagie Street), Pretoria, 0001; or Posted to: The Department of Energy , Private Bag X 96, Pretoria, 0001. –SAnews.gov.za
