LETTER: Coal depends on how much value Eskom can get out of plants
Mantashe’s call for ‘changing the debate to energy supply security’ shows an appreciation for priorities
Alan Seccombe contends that Gwede Mantashe becoming the energy minister in addition to his mineral resources portfolio will significantly boost the prospects of SA’s coal industry (“Gwede Mantashe Backs Coal and Nuclear in SA’s Energy Mix”, June 4). However, Mantashe’s comments as quoted are rather more qualified than the prognosis of your “resources writer” — a designation itself redolent of a 20th century perspective on our economy.
Mantashe’s call for “changing the debate to energy supply security” shows an appreciation for priorities. He acknowledges that keeping coal in the energy mix (beyond our current lock-in through Eskom and Sasol) will be contingent upon finding “clean coal technology”, and this offers zero assurance of “a longer role for coal” that Seccombe infers...
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