EDITORIAL: Get moving on gas plan before it evaporates
The longer government dithers about gas-fired power the more likely business and consumers are to suffer
Despite criticism and objections from activists and researchers, it appears likely that SA will go ahead with plans to secure at least 3GW to 6GW of gas-powered electricity generation capacity within the next few years. The country also desperately needs to secure additional gas supply supplies for industrial users. What isn’t clear is where the gas will come from, who will pick up the bill for new infrastructure required, and when new gas projects are likely to come online.
A report published earlier this year by the International Institute for Sustainable Development — which argues strongly against investment in new gas infrastructure, in part because those infrastructures are at risk of becoming stranded assets once sufficient renewable energy sources become available — says that while SA’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2019 for electricity infrastructure development envisages 3GW of gas-fired power plants by 2030, there are already proposals for gas-to-power projects o...
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