Related Articles
Top Stories
May 27 2012 11:21
There's a price war raging between South Africa's cellphone networks after Cell C lowered the rates of its prepaid calls by more than 34%.
May 27 2012 13:09
The oversupply of golf estates has claimed another victim.
May 27 2012 11:49
The country's 200 000-odd Tupperware agents are angry about the counterfeit products being sold as the real McCoy.
Pretoria - South Africa should diversify its sources of energy, the director general of the Department of Minerals and Energy said on Thursday.
"We need to diversify our sources of energy, it should not only be coal and nuclear (energy), ...that constitutes our energy mix," said Sandile Nogxina.
Nogxina was speaking in Pretoria following the launch of an R80bn coal bed methane project.
The department endorsed the project as part of its mandate to secure energy for the country.
Empowerment group Bataung Oil and Gas, NT Energy Africa as well as the Central Energy Fund were also part of the project. They were exploring for coal bed methane reserves as part of the development of sustainable sources of alternative energy in the country.
Kinesh Pather of Bataung Oil and Gas said the development of alternative energy would create "large scale full-time employment".
The company's executive chairperson Billy Modise said: "This is a good venture, the new technology will make things move faster because of the pressure of not having enough energy".
The companies assured the media that public funding would not be used in the exploration stage as money had been raised in the UK and Europe.
"No public funding will be used," said Modise.
Managing director of NT Energy Africa Chris Mumby said that his company had begun drilling in the Free State in August. Work was also underway in Mpumalanga and work in Limpopo would begin next year.
Mumby said Eskom had indicated that it could convert some of its power stations to accept up to about 30% of gas feed.
- Sapa