Minerals council welcomes minister responsible for electricity

Johannesburg – The Minerals Council South Africa notes the appointment of new cabinet ministers and congratulates Paul Mashatile on his appointment as Deputy President. We welcome the appointment of Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa as the minister responsible for electricity in the Presidency to guide the country out of its electricity crisis in partnership with the private sector.
“The appointment of Dr Ramokgopa is a good appointment. The Minerals Council has worked with him in the past and we look forward to working with him to help resolve South Africa’s electricity crisis. It’s important that the other components of government align with the presidency to achieve the objectives of the electricity recovery plan,” says Roger Baxter, CEO of the Minerals Council.
The Minerals Council’s members and the private sector have more than 9GW of renewable energy projects worth more than R160 billion that can be built in the next five years, taking pressure off Eskom so it can conduct its critical maintenance programmes and restore its aging fleet of power plants to stability.
“We look forward to working with Dr Ramokgopa to expedite these projects, removing all red tape and bottle necks, including strengthening the transmission infrastructure which is vital to unlock the private sector’s contribution to resolving the crisis,” says Mr Baxter.