Outa CEO Wayne Duvenage
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has called on the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to recall and rework the draft Integrated Resource Plan 2023 (IRP 2023) and to then reissue a revised document for “meaningful” public consultation that includes public hearings.
In its comment on the draft submitted to the DMRE ahead of the March 23 deadline, which was extended from an initial deadline of February 23, Outa said the draft IRP 2023 had reached “erroneous conclusions and observations”, owing to the inclusion of acknowledged errors and outdated technology costs.
Therefore, CEO Wayne Duvenage argued that the document “should be recalled, reworked and reissued for public comment, with adequate time provided for a meaningful consultation process, including a series of public hearings around South Africa”.
After publishing the IRP 2023 for public comment in January, the DMRE held two virtual workshops, where public participation was largely limited to posing questions to the department on the contents of the document.
This, despite significant proposed changes when compared with the prevailing IRP 2019, including a big rise in the allocation for gas to power, and the controversial inclusion of ongoing loadshedding until at least 2027 in a plan meant to outline how supply will meet demand.
Along with several other stakeholders Outa initially only called on the department to extend the comment period, but has since concluded that the document is so inadequate that it should be withdrawn and reworked, using input from “credible” scenario planners.