The city of Cape Town is awaiting a court ruling on whether it can buy its own electricity from suppliers other than national power utility Eskom without getting approval from the energy minister.<\/p>\n
Judge Leonie Windell of South Africa\u2019s High Court on Tuesday reserved judgment in the case between the city and the energy ministry and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa.<\/p>\n
The case could pave the way for South African municipalities to bypass the ministry and source their own power, much of it from renewable sources.<\/p>\n
It would also reduce revenue for Eskom, which produces most of its energy from coal and is saddled with R454 billion ($25 billion) in debt. Eskom\u2019s inability to supply sufficient power has resulted in repeated power cuts.<\/p>\n
\u201cAllowing municipalities to contribute to ensuring supply security is an important avenue to returning South Africa to a reliable and secure electricity system,\u201d said Jesse Burton, a senior associate at\u00a0E3G<\/a>, an independent London-based climate change think-tank.<\/p>\n \u201cNational government continues to tie municipalities to the high-cost future of expensive Eskom and expensive new coal plants, just as cities worldwide become sites of innovation and climate ambition.\u201d<\/p>\n Burton provided an expert statement for the Centre for Environmental Rights, an environmental legal organization that is an amicus to the case.<\/p>\n
\n