Godongwana’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ fantasies on new investments in gas and nuclear are regrettable
1 November 2022
Remarks by the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, that taking over a portion of Eskom’s debt will be made on the condition that the power utility agrees to invest in coal, gas and nuclear, are not only regrettable but reveals the extent of a government that has run out of ideas on how to address the energy crisis.
The only logical conclusion from this surprise announcement is that the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, has managed to "turn" Godongwana and made 240 Madiba street in Pretoria a playground to fulfill his fantasy towards a coal, gas and nuclear energy mix.
While the DA still opposes the dumping of Eskom debt on the sovereign balance sheet, we are equally opposed to harebrained attempts to foster economically unviable energy sources, like coal, gas and nuclear, into the energy mix.
Earlier this year, the DA warned that South Africa does not have access to cheap gas resources to be able to power gas stations at a commercially viable scale. Using the current import prices of gas from Mozambique, retail prices per kilowatt hour of electricity generated from these gas power stations will like be unaffordable for most South Africans.