City’s energy plans blowing in the wind

IN AN application which will benefit municipalities across the country, the City of Cape Town has turned to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, for the green light to obtain some of its electricity supply from independent power producers.

It aims to obtain renewable energy in the form of solar and wind-generated electricity for its residents.

But the red tape in the form of Section 34 of the Electricity Regulation Act seems to be in the metro’s way.

In terms of the Act, the Minister of Energy, in consultation with the National Energy Regulator of SA, must determine that new capacity generation is needed, the types of energy sources from which the electricity must be generated, and by whom it may be bought.

The City is asking the court to order that this is not required when producing and buying renewable energy. It said if the court found this was a requirement, this section should be declared unconstitutional.

Director of enterprise and investment in the office of the mayor of Cape Town, Lance Greyling, said in an affidavit before court that the City had up to now bought almost all of its electricity from Eskom.

But, in terms of its planning, it wants to buy about 20% renewable and clean energy by 2020. Many municipalities around the country were looking at renewable energy, Greyling added.