Durban - The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Executive Council has approved eThekwini Municipality’s plans to procure energy supply from Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
Premier Sihle Zikalala made the announcement yesterday during the handover of temporary residential units in eNtshongweni.
“As we deal with the long-term response to climate change the Provincial Executive Council this week endorsed the eThekwini Metro council’s aspiration to procure new generation capacity from IPP in line with the determination of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy,” said Zikalala.
He said in terms of these plans, eThekwini aimed to achieve at least 15% of heating requirements using hydrogen as feedstock by 2030. Furthermore, the city wants to achieve industrial transformation of 15% in petrochemical, pulp & paper, cement, iron smelters, agriculture and gas imports infrastructure by 2030.
He said eThekwini also aimed to increase the uptake of electric vehicles by 6% annually from 2025 to 2050, and to decarbonise transport by introducing fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and gas.
Zikalala said the power transition would see the achievement by 2030 of the goal of only 40% reliance on the national grid, with the objective of attaining 100% penetration of alternate energy reached by 2050.
“The city of eThekwini is home to the majority of our industry, but also home to the largest population of KwaZulu-Natal. As the city adopts green and other alternate sources of energy, it will certainly serve as a turning point to bring on board the majority of the people of KwaZulu-Natal in this critical transition,” he said.