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Friday, February 13, 2009.

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Shannon O'Donnell.

Making headlines today:

South Africa has created a task force to develop an integrated energy strategy. This will ensure a consistent electricity supply in a country plagued by chronic blackouts.

Department of Minerals and Energy spokesperson Bheki Khumalo said that the ministry had called a meeting with all the stakeholders to discuss the way forward. These included the government, industry, State-owned utility Eskom and the unions.

He said that they've agreed to establish an energy forum that will look at how to ensure power security in South Africa.

The forum might be modelled on a coal working group set up by Eskom last year to solve the power crisis.

The current global economic crisis is unlikely to affect the development of the giant, international, Square Kilometre Array radio telescope project.

SKA South Africa project director Dr Bernie Fanaroff admitted that's although it's very hard to predict, they haven't seen any sign of the crisis affecting the project yet.

The SKA is a one-point-five-billion-euro project to build the world's biggest radio telescope. It will be situated in either South Africa's Northern Cape province or in Australia.

Also making headlines:

The International Monetary Fund considers a new council to empower emerging nations.
World Cup local organising committee head Danny Jordaan appeals to South Africans to price hospitality and services sectors fairly ahead of 2010.
Africa is to get a new energy-focused commodities exchange.
And, Namibian micro-financier Trustco will list on the JSE's Africa Board .

That's a round up of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories please visit engineeringnews.co.za.