Shabangu gives reassurance on coal exports

Photo: Leon Nicholas, Independent Media

Photo: Leon Nicholas, Independent Media

Published Jan 29, 2014

Share

Cape Town - There is no move to clamp down on coal exports despite it being a strategic resource, Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu said on Wednesday.

“We will continue to be a market which contributes to(coal) exports. We will be (in) that space even if we do have coal as a strategic asset,” she told delegates at the SA Coal Export Conference in Cape Town.

“But we will also have to make sure that the local supply is guaranteed through Eskom and various other players.”

Shabangu said there were no plans at the moment to impose quotas or levies on coal being exported.

When asked a question about the future of coal exports, Shabangu said she could not commit.

“You can't hold me to that. You know my job in this particular portfolio. I'm counting days,” she said.

Should there be any export taxes in the future, they would need to be informed by economic conditions.

“I believe if we work together, when it comes to coal exports, in a sincere and fair way and agree on a formula which will work and be acceptable to the coal industry, we might find we do not need taxes because the system itself might be more efficient.”

Shabangu pointed to the development of infrastructure at the Waterberg coalfield in Limpopo as an integral step in ensuring energy supply in the future.

The coalfield is said to contain a large portion of the country's remaining coal and requires a water supply, rail capacity and urban planning. - Sapa

Related Topics: