Commentary: Anti-renewables lobby should ‘stick to the facts’

Lobbyists opposed to government’s plans on achieving energy security have used yesterday’s appearance by Deputy President David Mabuza in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) to muddy the waters around the success that the Renewable Energy (RE) sector has already delivered. The concern has been expressed by solar industry representative body the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA). It follows the Deputy President’s response to questions in the NCOP on Tuesday afternoon. “We believe that anti-renewable lobbyists have tried to take the Deputy President’s comments out of context. Mabuza – who chairs the Eskom Task Team – told MPs that the country’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) will be accelerated and Bid Window 5 is indeed making progress. These are all initiatives of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) that will achieve energy security,” says Niveshen Govender, Chief Operating Officer for SAPVIA.