Ms Dipuo Peters, Minister of Energy, today Friday, 14 August 2009 announced that the jet fuel crisis that has recently bedevilled Johannesburg International Airport has been resolved.
This is sequel to an intervention by Minister Peters last week. She convened an urgent meeting with SAPIA (representing all South African based oil companies), Transnet, as well as the Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) wherein an agreement was reached on a roadmap to restore the normal supply of jet fuel at OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA).
This extra-ordinary intervention was precipitated by the recent jet fuel shortages at ORTIA where the stock level had fallen below the acceptable benchmark of five days.
Minister Peters said, “I am pleased that the industry has responded with the necessary vigour and that the stock level has now reached more than six days. This is a victory for our country. ACSA will now be in a position to relax the restrictions it had imposed at the ORTIA. I will however continue to keep the matter under a critical eye.”
Meanwhile, the Task Team chaired by the Acting Director General of Energy, Ms Nelisiwe Magubane, will begin its work on Monday. It will investigate “the near jet fuel stock-out at OR Tambo, and also suggest measures to be put in place to ensure that this anomaly does not happen in the future.”
The Task Team will include more representatives than initially anticipated. It will be made up of officials from the Department of Energy, the director of SAPIA (and representatives from SAPIA member companies), representatives from Transnet Freight Rail and Transnet Pipelines, general manager of OR Tambo International Airport as well as a representative from the Airport Company of South Africa.
The terms of reference for the Task Team will include inter alia, “the successful identification of key risks and subsequently design a coordinated approach to planning for the 2010 FIFA World Cup”.
“They will be expected to develop a consolidated liquid fuel supply and logistics plan as well as contingency measures for high risk areas. Accordingly is it crucial for the industry and my Department to work off the same assumptions with regard to demand forecasts for fuel requirements going forward,” Minister Peters announced.
The reports we have received from OR Tambo International Airport have indicated that additional jet fuel has now been delivered from coastal refineries and will be added to the current usable stock levels. This, therefore, means that we have now reached the standard that is applicable to airports of the size of ORTIA.
Finally, the Minister also announced that her department will continue to work closely with the Department of Transport to ensure that all planning for liquid fuel is aligned with the national transport plan.
Enquiries:
Bheki Khumalo
Cell: 082 773 2388
Tel: 012 679 9032
Zodwa Batyashe
Cell: 082 455 9796
Issued by: Department of Energy
14 August 2009
