1 - 31 March
March is Energy Month in South Africa.
Come on board and reduce energy consumption in your everyday life.
Over this period, government organisations will partner with businesses, organisations and concerned citizens to promote energy saving and spread awareness of South Africa's energy needs.
In December 2010, the UN General Assembly declared 2012 the International Year of Sustainable Energy Access for All. Government has thus emphasised the importance of increasing access to energy, energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Government has prioritised the development of energy infrastructure, with Finance Minister, Pravin Gordham, announcing in his Budget Speech, an allocation of just under R300 billion to the energy sector over the MTEF period.
In energy, said Minister Gordhan, "the focus is on demand-side management to address the impact of limited supply until new generation capacity comes online. An additional R4.7 billion is allocated to complete the installation of one million solar water geysers. R600 million goes to municipalities to install low-energy lighting and equipment. R300 million is provided for the electrification of informal settlements".
Eskom has also embarked on a massive capacity expansion programme to meet South Africa's increasing energy needs. It has budgeted R385 billion up to 2013 for its capacity expansion. Eskom expects to double its capacity to 80 000 MW by 2026.
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