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Billions could be saved on energy - MP

Cape Town - The government can save billions of rand in infrastructure if it raises its "ludicrously" low energy savings forecast, an MP said on Wednesday.

Independent Democrats MP Lance Greyling, speaking after a briefing to Parliament on the government's 20-year power plan, said the forecast of 3400MW hours could easily be raised to 10 000, which would remove the need to build multi-billion-rand projects such as the Kusile power plant in Mpumalanga.

"To sit with a figure of 3400MW hours distorts the overall energy demand for the country," Greyling said.

"We need to seriously interrogate that. I think it is completely ludicrous. If you bump up the figure significantly you will change decisions, which will save the country a fortune in terms of invested capital."

Greyling said the government's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP2) for the next 20 years was not giving energy efficiency the priority it deserved.

Electricity crisis

"We need to concentrate on the energy efficiency side. It is the least costly option. It reduces emissions and it is the quickest route to get us out of the energy crisis at the moment."

Greyling said Cape Town's switch to energy efficient light bulbs in 2006 saved the city during an electricity crisis that year.

He said the government should be looking at legislating the 25 companies that used 40% of South Africa's electricity.

"For instance the replacement of electrical resistance heaters with heat pumps could yield a 62% saving in electricity," he said.

"In South Africa 25 users consume 40% of the electricity. What the government did was get them to sign voluntary energy efficiency accords. It's voluntary and they haven't met that. The government has to legislate that to make it mandatory, instead running out to build new coal power stations to push energy efficiency."

Energy department deputy director-general Ompi Aphane told the energy portfolio committee earlier that improving efficiency was the quickest way to deal with South Africa's electricity shortage.

"Yes, in South Africa there is huge potential. We estimate there are 30% of savings that we can introduce.

He said however that energy savings would soon reach saturation point.

"There is a sense energy efficiency represents an infinite power generation option.

"You can change all light bulbs in country. At some point you can't change any more light bulbs. You can introduce energy efficiency in a country and at a certain point it will saturate."

The government, he said, was giving "extremely generous incentives" for different energy technologies.

"The reality in South Africa at this point is that we are not an energy efficient country."
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