VUSLAT BAYOGLU: Let’s prick the gas balloon before it gets any bigger
Why gas is not a viable alternative for South Africa
The idea that gas-fired power plants are a solution to our electricity challenges could become a policy fad in South Africa unless its shortcomings are highlighted. It wouldn’t be a bad idea if it was realistic. As a principle, no energy source should be left out in our efforts to build a resilient energy system.
But whatever we include in the energy mix should, as a minimum, be scientifically and commercially viable. Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is advocating for gas as a coal replacement. Last year, he visited a gas-to-power plant under construction and claimed that such projects “will help diversify the country’s energy mix, reducing reliance on coal and promoting cleaner energy sources”...
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