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29 February 2008

The Presidential Joint Working Group met in Tuynhuys today, Friday, 29 February to discuss issues arising out of the current electricity emergency. Participants – business, labour and civil society - agreed that the country needs a 10% reduction in the consumption of electricity in order to provide a reliable supply over the next few years.

The meeting received a report on the basic strategy laid out in the National Electricity Response Plan. That plan requires both households and enterprises to take vigorous action to save energy in order to avoid rolling blackouts as far as possible. It also calls on industry and Eskom to develop new sources of electricity as rapidly as possible.

Constituencies tabled proposals to address the emergency and shared their perspectives on the background and the future. These proposals will now be considered, including the role Nedlac will play, and will be brought together into a common framework. Participants agree that the immediate task is to ensure that everyone contributes to the conservation of electricity.

A key part of the response to the shortfall must include an energy efficiency campaign aimed at changing mind-sets and behaviour of consumers and industrial users. Everyone can help avoid rolling blackouts, improve prospects for economic growth, protect employment and save on electricity bills by:

* turning off lights that are not in use especially at home and in businesses and office buildings, and switching to low-energy compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs
* switching off geysers at home from 9 o'clock at night to 5 o'clock in the morning and from 11 in the morning to 6 o'clock in the evening
* turning off other appliances at the switch when not in use.

The campaign to conserve energy must be led by concrete commitments from government departments with the active involvement of organisations of all social partners and mobilise the whole of society. We call on the media to support the campaign by reporting regularly and factually on measures to save energy.

In this context, the parties agreed to work together to ensure, as far as possible, that:
* emergency services are protected
* the savings do not add to the burdens on poor households or undermine the programme of electrifying historically deprived communities.

Measures to reduce electricity use should not lead to employment losses; instead, as far as possible, they should maintain shared growth, including through energy-saving practices, development of new sources of electricity as well as production of energy-saving technologies. In this context, the mining industry is receiving priority attention.

A critical component of the campaign is to improve communication and ensure that it is always informative, open, honest and inclusive. Decisions on electricity policy and specific measures to reduce electricity usage must be made in a co-ordinated and transparent way. In the longer run, it is critical that the parties work together to accelerate investment in new sources of electricity, including solar energy in households and workplaces, increased output from the public sector, co-generation and production based on biomass and other innovative technologies from industry.

Participants resolved to work together to minimise the cost of the electricity emergency, especially to poor communities and to shared economic growth. They also agreed to mobilise their constituencies to:
* implement electricity savings in the workplace, in communities, schools, public buildings and homes
* support communication and education in energy conservation
* encourage and support a sustainable increase in alternative sources of electricity and where feasible local production of relevant components
* help identify obstacles in the implementation of energy-saving measures and develop solutions to overcome them.

The parties agreed to meet urgently to develop a common programme of action.

Issued by: The Presidency
29 February 2008
Source: The Presidency (http://www.thepresidency.gov.za)