The utility seeks to satisfy SA\u2019s growing electricity demands by taking out of mothballs a number of decommissioned coal-fired power stations.<\/p>\n
Eskom also planned new coal fired power plants, Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said on Friday. He was answering a question at a climate-change round table attended by Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, and said SA faced a challenge to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n
Coal-fired plants yearly pump out millions of tons of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas.<\/p>\n
Van Schalkwyk said while decommissioned coal-fired power stations would be taken out of mothballs, he had warned Eskom it should not expect \u201cthe same leniency\u201d regarding environmental standards that had applied in the past.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are quite aware of that and we will look very properly at what the environmental standards of the new power stations are,\u201d said Van Schalkwyk.<\/p>\n
SA could not continue to \u201csimply rely\u201d on fossil fuels for energy generation. He said a step in the right direction was that the government had announced plans for a second conventional nuclear power station to be built at one of five possible locations on SA\u2019s coast.<\/p>\n
The government was also looking at renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, he said.<\/p>\n
After a long period of despondency there was a new spirit of optimism and co-operation after the recent Bali meeting on climate change and the launching of a new round of negotiations to strengthen the climate regime after 2012, Van Schalkwyk said.<\/p>\n
In this new round, \u201cadaptation (to unavoidable effects of climate change) finally had equal place alongside mitigation (reducing or avoiding emissions)\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said everyone was talking about mitigation now, \u201cincluding the US\u201d. Also, developing states had agreed to start talks on mitigation action that was measurable, reportable and verifiable.<\/p>\n
Van Schalkwyk said the US commitment to join negotiations was an important step forward, but remained a first \u201cinfant step\u201d. What was expected from the US was a \u201cquantum leap\u201d. \u201cWe need to build a bridge from the fragmented, inadequate status quo to a climate regime where the US also accepts internationally agreed and binding targets.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was vital that \u201ccomparable effort\u201d led to US commitment to absolute reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, he said.<\/p>\n
Developing countries demonstrated real leadership in Bali. It was now up to the US to show leadership and \u201ctake their fair share of responsibility,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n