With consensus that the looming winter months could mean further blackouts in South Africa, renewable energy and energy-efficiency partnership spokesperson Glynn Morris on Thursday called for the development of clean, clever and competitive energy projects to increase capacity.

Speaking at the Africa Power and Electricity conference in Johannesburg, Morris said that, at present, people were not getting what they needed from the energy sector.

He added that, aside from the uncertainty regarding energy availability affecting product cycles, it had a high economic cost, particularly as back up was needed for cases of unpredictable energy cuts.

Morris pointed out that uncertainty regarding future costs, especially in light of the second fuel price hike in six weeks, made predicting future energy costs difficult.

“It’s difficult to make predictions for business costs and the hidden costs for the economy for the next 18 months.”

Morris said that the lack of access to good quality information made decision making difficult, however, this was exacerbated as there was “no clear accountability” for power failures.

“Who is responsible for keeping the lights on? Is it the National Energy Regulator of South Africa), Eskom or government?” he questioned, stressing that as there was no one to hold accountable, people were forced to make their own back-up plans.

It was, therefore, highly appropriate to make immediate decisions that would lower risks and create benefits associated with energy efficiency.

“Renewable energy options were increasingly worth considering and pursuing, he said, noting that current initiatives included the Bethlehem Hydro and Darling Wind Farm projects.

Also addressing the conference, Pebble Bed Modular Reactor company (PBMR), chief technology officer Johan Slabber pointed out that South Africa was not alone in its energy crisis predicament, explaining that China, too was “going all out for big power capacity increases, especially nuclear".

Slabber pointed out that about 25% of future nuclear energy would be supplied by the PBMR and that by 2030 some 20 PBMR plants would be operational.