JOHANNESBURG, July 18 (Xinhua) -- South African Minister of Public Enterprises Lynne Brown said Tuesday the country will soon reduce dependency on coal for its power generation for new energy mix which are environmentally friendly.
At the Power-Gen & DistribuTech Africa Conference in Johannesburg, Brown said the government will soon unveil a new Integrated Resource Plan which will clearly articulate what the government intends to do and how.
"We know that the plan will require us to move away from our dependency on coal to embrace a new energy mix derived from coal, gas, nuclear and renewable resources... Eskom is already busy with projects aimed at reducing air pollution from its coal-powered stations, and offsetting emissions," said Brown.
South Africa is a signatory to some international bodies like the Paris Agreement of 2016 which bound the country to reduce emission. The country is now leaning towards an inclusive continental electricity sector skewed and develop better lives for the poor and the marginalized, Brown said.
South Africa is involved in research and development on new technologies to produce cleaner power on commercial basis.
"Electricity is the cornerstone of any economy; without it, there can be no industry, little development and only stunted growth. South Africa and Eskom, which is among the world's largest power utilities, stand ready to collaborate with the rest of the continent and the world to address common continental and global challenges," she added.
Like other countries in the South, South Africa are victims of the climate change created by the countries in the North and are working hard for more equitable and sustainable solutions, Brown said.
"Networking and information-sharing exercises such as this conference present rare opportunities for the cream of the continents thought leaders to plot a collective trajectory to a lighter future. A future in which we have overcome Africa's infrastructure deficit," said the minister.
Brown encouraged African countries to be self-sustainable by diversify their roles from being power traders only.
The senior officials in the continent and abroad are meeting to improve the electricity provision and use of cleaner energy. The event will end on July 20, 1017.
