South Africa: Poor Energy Policy Undermines Energy Diversity

Analysis

In 2010 Anton Bredell, Western Cape Environment Minister, reported that his department had received applications for installation of over 11 000 Megawatts (MW) of wind energy generation capacity. This is more than double the capacity of the controversial Medupi coal fired power station. This could make the Western Cape a net exporter of clean energy.

However a number of bureaucratic stumbling blocks have delayed and may halt these mainly privately funded, market-driven initiatives. Instead of being a simple matter of getting planning permission and connecting the grid, government structures remain more of a hindrance than help.

Our national energy policy remains contested ground. Despite years of discussion about opening up and diversifying our energy market, the reality has been unnecessary delays simply through a failure to put concrete policies and supportive energy regimes in place. This vacillation was directly responsible for the scheduled rolling blackouts, euphemistically referred to as load shedding, in late 2007.

Despite these massive economic costs, the political jockeying and intransigence continues. Instead of opening up the market Eskom did some navel gazing, belatedly focused on energy efficiency and more than doubled its prices.

Instead of promoting generating diversity and a competitive environment Eskom retreated to the energy laager, fast-tracking one of the word's biggest coal fired power plants. Eskom continues to ignore concerns around the impacts of human triggered climate change. Its massive CO2 footprint and political influence combine to directly undermine sustainable development in South Africa.

Persistent delays in finalising Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs) lie at the heart of our problems. If we had harnessed all of the hot air generated by debating various iterations of IRPs since 2002 we wouldn't need new generating capacity! The most recent version, IRP 2010, was promulgated nearly a year behind schedule and has generated huge controversy around its focus on coal and nuclear generation.

Along with IRP delays, the finalisation and clarification of the Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariff programme (REFIT) continues to compromise investment in renewables. The first iteration, published in 2009, is under revision and is tangled in red tape. It is remarkable how government fast tracks political priorities like secrecy bills, media tribunals and disbanding the Scorpions yet cannot finalise economically critical matters like energy policy.

Cape Town looks towards desalination | savingwater.co.za

The tender call, expected within a month, will be for a study on where such a desalination plant could be built and what capacity it should have.

The call coincides with a major effort to plug water leaks and theft that, in February last year, accounted for one quarter of all treated water in the city, and with a warning that few options remain for tapping existing surface water sources.

The city will also be looking at the large-scale re-use of water. This is the only potential major new water source at a cost lower than seawater desalination, which is very expensive because of the large amount of electricity required. This study is expected to kick off “within the next few months”.

These initiatives are among the water conservation and water demand management measures that form a major part of the strategy for providing water in the Western Cape region that is already using about 92 percent of all “safely” available water. “Safely” means with a high degree of certainty of availability, without water restrictions.

Depending on how successful these measures are and on how much the city grows, the remaining 8 percent of available water will be fully utilised anywhere between 2017 and 2019, according to projections by the Department of Water Affairs.

In a statement yesterday based on the latest newsletter of the Western Cape Water Resource Strategy’s steering committee, the department said it was therefore supporting the city’s efforts by calling on all residents to use water sparingly.

It pointed out that the Western Cape Water Supply System could safely provide 556 million cubic metres a year. Users of this system include the municipalities of Stellenbosch, Drakenstein, Swartland and Saldanha, as well as farms.

Last year, 511 million cubic metres were used, with 32 percent going to irrigation farmers and 68 percent to urban residents.

The department pointed out that the city had invested some R60m in the current financial year to upgrade and replace water infrastructure, metering, water pressure management and other measures to reduce water loss and the amount of “non-revenue” water.

“Non-revenue” water is water that goes missing in the distribution system between the collection point and the metered outlets, as a result of pipe bursts or leaks, reservoir overflows, metering inaccuracies and theft.

“(This investment) has had the effect of reducing the average ‘lost’ water, in relation to the water treated and supplied, from 24.4 percent in February last year to 19.9 percent in February this year.

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