The sugar cane growing community of Glendale, KwaZulu-Natal yesterday sought a guarantee from government that they will benefit financially from their contribution to the making of renewable energy from the cane wastage they will now sell.
The communities were addressing outgoing energy minister Dipuo Peters. She was making her first tour of the project in which millers have invested about R18 billion towards the creation of a renewable energy facility that will use waste from the cane fields and other by-products of the sugar making process.
The renewable energy from the millers will contribute to the national electricity grid.
Peters, who has now been appointed transport minister, said she had found the tour of the six farming communities and Illovo’s Glendale Milling plant an eye opener to the contributions that the sugar industry could make to the creation of renewable energy.
Peters said she was educated by the tour to sugar plantations where the community was involved in most stages of sugar development.
“This visit confirms policy wills and our commitment to making this happen,” said Peters.
“Everything here is a cycle, everything has a role to play.”
Peters said the energy mix plan that was unveiled at the ANC Mangaung conference last year was the first sign of the government’s commitment to renewable energy and it had resulted in the integrated restructuring plan.
Executive vice-chairman of the Gledhow Sugar Company, Paul de Robillard, said engaging with potential investors was difficult when they could not offer a tariff that would indicate what they would reap from the project.
“The investors would say ‘that’s nice, you have done the technical stuff, but how much money will we make’,” said Robillard. “You can’t do anything without a tariff.”
The sustainability of the industry was also emphasised by all parties, to allow for the sustainable supply of energy. Local communities benefit from job creation and say there has been a drastic decrease in crime as people now have an income. This is according to sugar cane cutters in the Qwabe area in Durban. About 80 percent of the cane cutters are women.
Peters said sugar mills could provide energy by the start of next year if the sugar industry was ready.
The sugar millers said they were expected to produce about 800 megawatts of electricity but did not know how much each miller would contribute towards this.
The interest for request proposals closes today and the department will make determinations in December.
African countries such as Zambia, Swaziland and Mauritius use sugar as a basis for renewable energy.