Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson today met with representatives of the Energy Intensive User Group (EIUG) – comprising South African companies that are the major users of energy in South Africa – to discuss how to tackle the challenge of limited electricity supply “through collaborative approaches”.

This followed a report by the Mail & Guardian last week in which it quoted Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown as saying that State-owned power utility Eskom would “run out of money” by the end of January.

The parastatal further this week warned that the national grid would remain “extremely constrained” as “even more” businesses reopen, workers return to work and scholars head back to school after the December holidays.

In her opening address to the meeting, Joemat-Pettersson called on industry to “do what it could” to provide solutions and committed the government to building and sustaining the industrialisation of the country.

“Various options, including cogeneration and independent power producer (IPP) [structures] will be pursued, as well as demand management strategies. IPP programmes will [also] be [further] accelerated and the Minister has undertaken to address any legislative and regulatory constraints,” the Department of Energy (DoE) said on Tuesday.

According to the department, the EIUG in turn, committed its members to contribute their expertise to find solutions, as it was currently doing through its participation in the Energy War Room.

Various proposals would also be made through industry body Business Unity South Africa for government consideration.

“The EIUG thanked the Minister for convening the meeting and indicated their wish that this should be an ongoing interaction,” the DoE highlighted.