A declaration of an “energy emergency” has been touted as a necessary step to “cut through the red tape” and address the electricity crisis in South Africa.
The National Planning Commission (NPC) says this will override any red tape currently preventing the construction of new electricity production plants.
South Africa is experiencing its worst year of load shedding on record since rolling power cuts were introduced in 2008 to prevent the electricity grid from experiencing a total collapse.
But what exactly does an ‘energy emergency’ mean, and which regulations or processes will be bypassed?
The Koeberg Alert Alliance, which is a group of organisations and individuals concerned about nuclear reactors at Koeberg, believes the NPC’s idea is a bad one.
“We have regulations and processes that are in place for a reason. If there were things that were problematic that meant government couldn’t act, then I think it would be worth looking at finding a way of bypassing those”.
– Peter Becker, spokesperson at Koeberg Alert Alliance
Source: Eyewitness News
Link: https://ewn.co.za/2022/07/15/koeberg-alert-alliance-says-declaration-of-energy-emergency-is-not-advisable
