Premier

Question by: 
Hon Pat Lekker
Answered by: 
Hon Alan Winde
Question Number: 
10
Question Body: 

With regard to the announcement of the Western Cape Energy Council, as well as the development of the Energy Plan, in his State of the Province Address:

(1) (a) What (i) is the mandate of the Western Cape Energy Council, (b) is its budget and (c) are the names of all the individuals that form part of it;

(2) (a)(i) what are the details of the Energy Plan and (ii) when will it be finalised, (b) what are the details of the department or departments and individuals involved in the development of the plan and (c) what is the detailed breakdown of the costs associated with it?

Answer Body: 

(1)(a)(i) The mandate of the Western Cape Energy Council is to –

  • Ensure that the Western Cape implements a clear, ambitious and realistic plan for addressing the immediate impacts of load shedding as well as medium- and longer-term resilience
  • Generating ideas and solutions to the energy crisis
  • Forging partnerships with academia, the private sector and others to embark on joint initiatives
  • Unblocking impediments to the implementation of proposed solutions
  • Advising on actions to be taken
  • Tracking performance of the implementation plan

     (b) There is no budget for the Energy Council.

(c)  The members of the Energy Council are appointed ex officio and not in their personal capacity.

  • The Premier of the Western Cape, as the Chairperson of the Energy Council
  • Ministers of:
  • Finance and Economic Opportunities
  • Local Government and Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
  • Infrastructure
  • Agriculture
  • Premier’s Energy Advisor
  • The Director-General
  • Mayors or Energy representatives from the following Municipalities:
  • City of Cape Town
  • Drakenstein
  • George
  • Mossel Bay
  • Saldanha Bay
  • Stellenbosch
  • External Stakeholders (as and when required)

(2)(a)(i) The Western Cape Energy Resilience Programme is made up of six components, the first of which aims to reduce the impacts of load shedding on businesses and citizens in the Western Cape. The other five aim to lower the level of reliance on Eskom. These include a Provincial Integrated Resource Plan, a Demand Side Management Programme, a New Energy Generation Programme, and a Network Development Programme, all of which are supported by work aimed at increasing investment in energy sector.

The demand side management programme will inform businesses and citizens of their options to reduce energy usage (and consequently save on energy costs), will enable businesses and households to right-size and reduce their investments in alternative energy systems and is aimed at enabling negotiations with National government regarding load shedding buffering for the province.

The new energy generation programme includes supporting municipal IPP procurement with transaction advisory and other project preparation services to advance projects towards implementation, while exploring and implementing a pooled buying mechanism that should enable projects at lower risk and cost; continuing to support  private sector utility-scale projects, wheeling and small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) at a bigger scale and more urgently than previously; and enabling households to implement alternative energy systems.

The network development programme will enable the WCG to understand, quantify, cost, strategize and ultimately implement (collectively enabling) the infrastructure and associated technical systems needed to support the growth in energy generation and load / demand in the Western Cape. 

The financing work will include the development and implementation of a Just Energy Transition Investment Plan for the required energy projects and infrastructure that will be used to attract investment and create new industries and jobs, and that will also help the WC to achieve energy resilience. The work includes the development and implementation of new and innovative financing and other mechanisms.

The different elements of the Western Cape Energy Resilience Programme will be run by several WCG departments.

(ii) The Energy Plan has been approved, targets have been set and projects identified. Project scoping is underway.

(b)     The key departments involved in the development of the Energy Plan and the lead individuals from each included:

Department

Individuals

Department of the Premier

Harry Malila

Hildegarde Fast

Department of Economic Development and Tourism

Velile Dube

Helen Davies

Ajay Trikam

Department of Infrastructure

Jacqui Gooch

Labeeqah Schuurman

Department of Local Government

Graham Paulse

Provincial Treasury

David Savage

Taryn van de Rheede

Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning

Gerhard Gerber

 

Department of Agriculture

Mogale Sebopetsa

 

The above list excludes those who were involved in the Growth for Jobs Strategy: Energy Priority Focus Area development process, which also informed the energy plan.

The Core Energy Team in the Department of the Premier co-ordinated the work and the Premier played the lead oversight role through chairing the Western Cape Energy Council.

       (c) The Budget for the Energy Plan is:

Year

2023/24 R’000

2024/25

R’000

2025/26 R’000

MTEF

R’000

Allocations

257,180

203,893

217,542

678,615

Reserve budgets

267,360

159,867

74,298

501,525

Total

524,540

363,760

291,840

1,180,140

 

Date: 
Friday, March 24, 2023
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