Pretoria - Energy Minister Dipuo Peters has encouraged the public and various stakeholders to participate in the public hearings currently underway, into the country's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP2010).
The Integrated Resource Plan is a 20-year-electricity capacity plan for South Africa. It aims to provide an indication of the country's electricity demand; how this demand will be supplied and what it will cost.
Rolling blackouts are anticipated in the country from 2011 to 2016, unless extraordinary steps are taken to accelerate the realisation of non-Eskom generation and energy-efficiency projects.
The plan aims to achieve a balance between an affordable price for electricity to support a globally competitive economy and a move to a more sustainable and efficient economy that creates jobs, taking into account appropriate carbon emission targets in line with global commitments.
According to the IRP2010, the country requires 52248 MW of new capacity in order to meet the projected demand and provide adequate reserves.
The hearings which started in Durban last week, took place on Monday in Cape Town's BMW Pavilion. The last leg will be a two-day session in Midrand, Gauteng on 2- 3 December.
"I have noted with appreciation the various inputs made by stakeholders participating in these important hearings. I call upon all interested parties, both organised groups and individuals to continue to actively participate in this process in order for us to have a transparent and informed IRP2010 which includes all the views across the sector," Minister Peters said.
The public hearing process and the extension of the deadline for written submissions, the minister said, re-affirms government's commitment to a transparent and open consultative process.
"As we move closer to the deadline of 10 December 2010 for the inputs, I further urge all South Africans, private sector, investors, labour and community structures to utilise this space and contribute positively to strengthen this process," Peters said.
