SA to improve pipelines, ports to buoy gas imports

Johannesburg - South Africa plans to improve its pipelines and ports to allow for more gas imports for use in power generation, the acting director general of the department of energy said on Tuesday.

The economy is dependent on 95% of coal for power and also uses relatively expensive diesel for turbines. Eskom plans to replace diesel with gas to run its generators within the next three years to save on costs.

Cash-strapped Eskom's woes are spurring the search for other sources of energy for power generation such as gas.