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Durban – If the playing field is not level in applying the
envisaged carbon tax, the business sector will be unable to create work and
alleviate poverty, warns Stephen Olivier, chief executive of cement
manufacturer AfriSam.
Norbert Behrens, general manager for strategy at Sasol
[JSE:SOL], said the envisaged carbon budgets provided for in government’s
climate response strategy directly affect economic policy. The business sector
likes certainty and stability, and he therefore reckons government policy should
be consistent and predictable.
Steve Lennon, managing director of Eskom’s resources and
strategy division, said the business sector is not doing enough for climate
change and everyone must accept greater responsibility.
These were some of the comments this week during a panel
discussion among South African business leaders at COP 17, which organised the
National Business Initiative and the CEO Forum.
The CEO Forum is a temporary forum of business leaders
convened specially for COP 17 to convey the business sector's contribution to
climate change.
Behrens said Sasol believes that solar power is the future,
and the group wants to expand concentrated solar power and use more natural gas
as a bridge to a future in which renewable energy will make a greater
contribution.
From 2004 to 2010 Sasol reduced its greenhouse gas emissions
by 12% or 2m tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Sales of natural gas to industries helped those industries
to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions by a further 2m tonnes of carbon
dioxide.
Peter Staude, chief executive of sugar group Tongaat Hulett [JSE:TON], said his four South African sugar mills generate 50MW of their own electricity, and can increase this to 350MW. The sugar industry can do much more for ethanol production.
Brazil and India are far ahead of South Africa.
Between 50% and 60% of Brazil's sugar cane is used for ethanol production,
without any subsidisation. In India the generation of electricity from
sugarcane fibre is rapidly expanding. Olivier said it is difficult to
modify cement-manufacturing technology to release less greenhouse gas.
The chemical processes in cement production represent 50% of
the industry's greenhouse gas emission, followed by heat production (40%) and
electricity consumption (10%).
AfriSam’s plan to reduce its pollution includes alternative
materials like coal ash, the burning of invasive plants to heat cement ovens,
and improvements to the energy efficiency of processes and equipment.
According to Lennon, Eskom is researching wave and
ocean-current energy, which may be exploitable within 10 or 15 years.
Eskom, however, has ambitious plans to build thousands of megawatts of concentrated solar and wind power plants.
- Sake24
For more business news in Afrikaans, go to Sake24.com.
