Eskom may revise the method of demand side-management (DSM) project evaluation and funding as a result of the South African power crisis that has affected platinum mines.

General Manager Andrew Etzinger told delegates at the Africa Power and Electricity conference in Johannesburg that the firm has not done very well in processing these projects.

He said there was a difficult process involved with the financing of DSM projects which often through up "insurmountable obstacles".

Eskom has achieved nearly 897MW of energy savings including load shedding and DSM projects during 2007/08 but Mr Etzinger said that energy efficiency would need to play a bigger role if the 8,000MW target of 2025 was to be met.

He also called for a new tariff to force customers to exercise energy efficiency.

"Without a cost-reflective tariff, we will be fighting an uphill battle," he claimed.

National Energy Efficiency Agency acting operations manager Barry Bredenkamp told Mining Weekly that more needed to be done in terms of energy efficiency across South Africa.

"Progress in Africa to date has been happening in a fragmented fashion, although there are good examples in Ghana, Uganda and South Africa," he said.

Source:

Eskom may revise DSM project evaluation, funding, 16/04/08

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