S Africa plans to stop blackouts

Power cuts knock the traffic lights out causing chaos at rush hour

A massive investment in new energy in South Africa is needed to prevent more power cuts, according to a senior government minister.

The Public Enterprises minister, Alec Erwin said that new power stations must be built, some of them nuclear.

An investment of at least 1 trillion rand (£72bn) was needed to secure a reliable electricity supply, he said.

An above-average demand for electricity and a lack of investment has led to an energy shortage in the country.

He acknowledged that the recent supply problems and blackouts had become familiar challenges in South Africa.

Global shortage

However, he said the energy crisis was a global problem, with many countries struggling to attract investment for renewable energy and a global shortage of power-generating infrastructure.

The building programme in South Africa will take over eighteen years to complete, with two new power stations due to open in 2012 and 2013.

The programme aims to add 40,000 MEW to South Africa's generating capacity, with half coming from nuclear power.

In the meantime Mr Erwin made a call for greater energy-saving initiatives to reduce demand, and said it was important for South Africans to make a real effort to reduce their electricity use.

"There is no quick fix," he said, "but we can alleviate the problem with energy efficiency."