SA will not raise energy targets

South Africa Energy Targets

South Africa's energy minister has insisted that the country will not increase its target of getting 10,000GWh of its energy from renewable sources by 2013, despite the fact that a new tariff scheme could boost renewable energy uptake above that level.

Eskom, the South African power utility wants to invest heavily in renewable energy sources by next year in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint in Africa's strongest economy. However this mantle carries a burden.

South Africa is the world's 12th largest polluter and is easily Africa's biggest contributor to global warming.

"The department intends to meet the 2013 target in the short term"

Eskom, which relies on coal for 90 percent of its power generation, is one of the world's single largest producers of GHGs. Reuters reports that, when asked whether the government planned to increase the 10,000GWh target, minister Dipuo Peters said:

"No. The department intends to meet the 2013 target in the short term while reviewing the Renewable Energy White Paper to determine medium term and long term targets.

"Beyond 2013 the review process will be consultative and inputs from stakeholders and the general public will be taken into account in determining the next renewable energy target."

Boost renewable energy uptake

He added that since a renewable energy summit in March this year, South Africa has achieved less than 10 percent of its 2013 target. But in response to this, a new renewable energy feed-in tariff (REFIT), introduced earlier this year and expanded this month, would provide the necessary incentives to boost renewable energy uptake, including from independent power producers, as told by Reuters.

In an effort to drive down South Africa's carbon footprint National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) gave the go ahead for additional forms of energy, with new tariffs being introduced to get investment going in the sector.

In October, developed and developing countries endorsed a US-led Clean Technology Fund (CTF) funding envelope of $500 million for South Africa's CTF Investment Plan (IP), a huge step towards making ground at the upcoming UN summit on climate change in December.

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