Times Of Swaziland: Locals can sell electricity to SEC

Locals can sell electricity to SEC
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 TSAKASILE DLAMINI on 08/06/2012 00:00:00


EZULWINI – Locals will now be able to generate electricity and sell it to the
Swaziland Electricity Com-pany (SEC).
Swaziland joined the rest of the world in commemoration of World Environment Day
during a colourful event held at the Royal Swazi Sun Convention Centre on
Wednesday.
Lindiwe Ntshangase the Senior Energy Officer at the Ministry of Natural
Resources and Energy (MNRE) said, "SEC is no longer a monopoly so individuals
can produce their own electricity and sell it to the grid."
She said, if for example you are generating solar energy for use in your
household or business, you will now be able to sell the excess to SEC.
This is an incentive to encourage people to invest in solar energy and energy
conservation measures. According to Peterson Dlamini from the MNRE, they are
still working on the Feed-in Tariff Framework which will stipulate how the
electricity will be sold and managed.
The event was coordinated by the Swaziland Environmental Authority (SEA), in
conjunction with UNDP, Illovo, SEC, KOBWA, SNTC and many more partners. During
the day, there were environmental seminars in which the various stakeholders
made presentations about what their sectors were doing in terms of conserving
the environment, promoting sustainable development and moving towards a ‘green
economy’.
The seminars were opened by Stephen Zuke from SEA, who began by giving a brief
summary of the road from Rio 1992 to Rio+20. He said that the original Rio
report of 1992 outlined what had led to the depletion of our global natural
resources, that land degradation was high and also that some species had become
extinct. "During that summit," he said, "we drew up an agreement to promote
sustainable development."
The acting PS in the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs said, before
introducing Minister Mduduzi Dlamini; "We can’t hope for a better Swaziland
than a country where we create employment opportunities while protecting the
environment."
The minister officially opened the celebrations as well as the Green Expo. He
expressed his concern over the fact that mankind’s ecological footprint far
exceeded the planet’s capacity to regenerate itself. "We are no different from
someone who finances his ‘glittering lifestyle’ through borrowing from
shylocks," he said. The Green Expo consisted of numerous companies,
municipalities and individuals who were showcasing their green products and
practices. Some of the stalls that were present showcased handicrafts, solar
geysers and various recycling ideas.
The minister then took a tour around the expo, looking at the green products and
services that were on display.