South African Minister of Energy Jeff Radebe on Thursday reiterated the major role gas will play in South Africa’s energy mix.
Addressing delegates at the third annual Africa Oil & Power conference in Cape Town, he said that the South African government has re-confirmed its commitment to a solid partnership with the private sector in the generation of electricity, which includes coal and gas, while pursuing its energy transition objectives for the future.
He pointed out that the draft Integrated Resource Plan, which was released in August, states that gas will be introduced into South Africa’s energy mix by 2026.
“We are in the process of amending the gas Act to ensure that the Gas Utilisation Master Plan fits in to the broader Southern African Development Community strategy,” he said.
Radebe further noted that there is an abundance of gas in South Africa and that there has been extensive interest to explore the Karoo’s shale gas potential.
“We invite all investors in the energy sector to seriously consider South Africa as a developing nation with a huge potential to grow in a politically stable environment,” he said.
Also speaking at the conference Energy Department IPP office head Karen Breytenbach said that the department was planning to go to the market with procurement documentation next year.
“We are going to revisit the 11 GW of gas that is planned for South Africa between 2026 and 2030 and determine how to package it,” she said, adding that the South Africa’s gas IPP bidding round will hopefully be released next year.
