Gauteng moving towards renewable energy to take pressure off the struggling national energy grid, the province’s infrastructure development MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
“Solar energy and energy for landfill gas are the most obvious short-term [projects] that we have embarked on… It will be implemented at provincial and municipal level,” she said at the Africa Energy Indaba in Sandton.<\/p>\n
Solar water heaters were being rolled out to municipalities and solar street and traffic lights were being introduced.<\/p>\n
Solar panels were being used by many government buildings in the city centre, she said.<\/p>\n
“We have also started a process of ensuring the boilers we use in our hospitals will be run by natural gas and not by coal.”<\/p>\n
Mayathula-Khoza was speaking in the place of Energy Minister Joemat-Pettersson who had been billed to speak, but had to be in Cape Town to attend the debate on the state-of-the-nation address in Parliament.<\/p>\n
Mayathula-Khoza said government was implementing many initiatives across different sectors and was developing targets for different sources of energy.<\/p>\n
She pointed to government’s willingness to enter into power purchase agreements with the private sector.<\/p>\n
“These are some of the programs we are embarking on to make that little contribution to the challenge we are facing in this country.<\/p>\n
“This country is open for business and equally so we are ready to trade with Africa and the world.”<\/p>\n