| The energy sector has numerous points of
interface with the environment, many of which suffer severe environmental degradation.
Possibly the most serious environmental impact stemming from energy use patterns in the
CMA, occurs in the households sector. Households without electricity rely mainly on liquid
fuels and the burning of wood and biomass as energy sources for heating and cooking. A
large amount of fuel (petrol and diesel) is used for vehicular transportation and is a
major source of pollution within the CMA. Fuels and energy suppliers found in the CMA
include grid and off-grid electricity, liquid fuels (e.g. petrol, diesel, paraffin),
liquid petroleum gas (LPG), coal and biomass (e.g. wood, charcoal) and nuclear power. Given the lack of data concerning the use of energy
(electricity, liquid fuels, coal and wood) in the CMA, some of the information provided
below refers to the Western Cape Province. However, given that over 80% of the population
of the Western Cape Province is found in the CMA, it can be assumed that the highest
energy demand and consumption levels will occur in the metropole. |
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| Contents of CONTEXTUAL INFO on Energy: |
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| Electricity |
| Eskom’s SA Focus - Consumers in South
Africa (1998) report states that 14% of the population of the Western Cape Province does
not have access to electricity (Figure 1 and Figure
2). Many households in informal settlements have however benefited from Eskom’s
national electrification programme that began in 1991 (Eskom, 1997). |
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| Figure
1 |
| Electricity supply in
the Western Cape Province (Source: Eskom, 1998) |
 |
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| Figure
2 |
| Length of time
electrified households in the Western Cape Province have been receiving electricity
(Source: Eskom, 1998) |
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| Koeberg Nuclear Power Station generates
1842 MWh of electricity from two loop reactors, with 33% of the fuel needing to be changed
every 12 to 18 months (Eskom, 1990). Athlone Power Station generated 184 438 MW of power
for 287 688 consumers in the CMA from mid 996-1997, (City of Cape Town, 1996/97). The two
standby gas turbines can generate 57 MW of power each. |
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| Liquid fuels |
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TYPE OF FUEL |
QUANTITY SOLD IN MEGALITRES (Ml) |
| Petrol |
936 |
| Diesel |
301 |
| Paraffin |
46 |
| Fuel oil |
122 |
| Liquid Petroleum
Gas (LPG) |
64 |
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|
| Paraffin |
Back to top |
Data on the use of paraffin is very difficult to gather since it is
marketed by both the formal sector and a complex network of informal traders. In 1995 it
was estimated that 90% of paraffin was used for domestic purposes and 10% for industrial
(ERI, 1997). There appears to be a higher use of paraffin within the lower income groups
in the Western Cape Province, where it is used mainly for heating purposes, and to a
lesser extent for lighting, even after electrification. People still rely on cheaper
sources of energy for cooking and heating due to the cost of purchasing electrical
appliances such as stoves and heaters.
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| Petrol and diesel |
Back to top |
| According to the Cape Town Brown Haze Study (ERI, 1997), petrol and diesel
sales in the CMA have been steadily rising over the period 1992/1996 and it is estimated
that they will grow at an average of 3-5% per annum over the next decade (Table 2). In 1995 it was estimated that 3% of diesel used in the CMA
was for industrial use (Peens, 1996). The increase in the consumption of petrol and diesel
can be attributed to the increase in the number of vehicles and the high average age of
many of these vehicles. |
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YEAR |
PETROL |
DIESEL |
| |
Ml |
% annual
growth |
Ml |
% annual
growth |
| 1992 |
903 |
- |
302 |
- |
| 1993 |
912 |
1.0 |
283 |
-6.3 |
| 1994 |
950 |
4.2 |
290 |
2.5 |
| 1995 |
1003 |
5.6 |
314 |
8.3 |
| 1996 |
1067 |
6.4 |
343 |
9.2 |
|
(Source: ERI, 1997)
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| Oil |
Back to top |
| Industrial growth is likely to be around 2% per annum and emissions from
coal and oil-fired boilers and furnaces are assumed to increase at a similar rate. Fuel
oil consumption in the Greater Cape Town area was 122Ml in 1995 (ERI, 1997). It is assumed
that all fuel oil is used in boilers. The properties of fuel oil being combusted have a
significant effect on emissions e.g. SO2, NOx and particulate matter (PM10
and PM2.5). |
| Liquid
Petroleum Gas (LPG) |
Back to top |
| LPG is an important cooking fuel in parts of the CMA. In 1993, it was the
preferred cooking fuel for 67% of formal non-electrified households in Khayelithsa (Eskom,
1997). Forty seven percent of low income electrified households in the CMA had LPG stoves
(Eberhard and Trollip, 1994). Alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas, can
virtually eliminate particulate emissions and reduce gaseous emissions considerably. |
|
| Coal
and wood |
| No coal is mined or produced in the CMA
and the high rail transport costs significantly limits its use. Coal consumption in
industry and commerce in the greater Cape Town region is about 250 000 ton/year, excluding
Athlone Power Station which consumes more than 119 000 tons/year. An estimated 9 732
ton/year is consumed in residential use. It is estimated that the average middle- to
high-income household uses 3 kg of wood per month for braais and fire places (ERI, 1997).
Wood and biomass are used as sources of energy in informal settlements of the CMA,
although the extent of their use is very difficult to quantify. Figure
1 and Table 3 give an indication of energy use, particularly
the use of sources other than electricity. |
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| Figure
3 |
| Energy sources used
in households prior to electrification in the Western Cape Province
(Source: Eskom, 1998) |
 |
| NOTE: These figures are based on the
responses of people who had received electrification within the previous year (Figure 2). |
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ENERGY SOURCE |
BLACK |
COLOURED |
INDIAN |
WHITE |
ALL RACES |
Electricity |
44 |
90 |
93 |
98 |
84 |
Gas |
11 |
5 |
7 |
2 |
5 |
Paraffin |
40 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
Wood |
4 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
Total |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
| NOTE: Weighted analysis of the 1995 October Household Survey |
(Source: Central Statistical Services, 1996 as cited in CMC,
1999a)
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| Ambient energy |
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| Solar energy |
Back to top |
| The
CMA receives solar radiation throughout the year. Solar energy potential is lessened due
to significant seasonal variations (Eberhard and Trollip, 1994). In 1990, Cape Town
experienced a mean annual global radiation of 915 kWh m2 per year, compared to
1598 kWh m2 per year in Durban and 1943 kWh m2 per year in Pretoria
(Eberhard, 1990). |
| Wind power |
Back to top |
| The
CMA experiences strong wind with good wind energy potential decreasing as one moves inland
from the coast. A wind potential study conducted at three sites by Diab in 1995, found
mean annual wind speeds at a height of 10m to vary between 4.0 and 6.0 metres per second
(m/s), with wind speeds of 6.5 to 7.0 m/s at a height of 50m. The mean annual wind speeds
along the False Bay coastline are in the region of 5.0 m/s. |
| Wave energy |
Back to top |
| The
Cape Peninsula coast has been identified as an area of high wave energy potential
(Eberhard and Trollip, 1994). |
| Hydroelectricity |
Back to top |
| Due
to rainfall variability and the limited storage capacity of reservoirs, the CMA and
surrounds display a low hydro-electric potential. Steenbras reservoir has a pump storage
system with a maximum capacity of 180 MW. |
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