Tackle 'mammoth' energy task now for future generations‚ urges Tau

The president of the SA Local Government Association (Salga) Parks Tau has challenged councillors‚ mayors‚ city managers and other municipal roleplayers to make decisions to ensure a sustainable future for the energy of the country.

Tau told the Salga Energy Summit in Sandton that the debt owed by municipalities across the country‚ which ran into the billions of rand‚ needed a collective effort from the all spheres of government and all stakeholders.

Eskom told parliament this week that municipalities owe the power utility R30-billion‚ which placed a huge financial risk on the entity.

Tau said the summit was held at the right time‚ since governments‚ municipalities and companies across the globe were finding new ways of meeting their energy needs.

SA faced a “mammoth task” to find sustainable solutions to some of the most difficult and stubborn challenges in the electricity and energy industry.

“Some of these challenges are legacy related and cause some systemic and structural difficulties between the different roleplayers. At the same time the electricity and energy industry is taking a different shape and form due to technology disruptions and change in the concepts of the word electricity or energy. It is changing at a very fast pace but South Africa’s electricity and energy industry is still very much operating in a traditional form‚” Tau said.

He challenged the delegates to answer questions including what the energy transition means for South Africa‚ and what the risks are.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to speak at the summit‚ which ends on Friday.