2nd CO2 tax & the NIRP

If one department in government seems to understand that maybe climate change is an issue, it is treasury. Or maybe they just see it as another way to make revenue? Anyway, fist we had the 2c/kWh levy for fossil fuel based electricity; now there will be a tax on cars from March depending on how much CO₂ they spew: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/sa-to-introduce-new-car-tax-despite-concerns-2010-01-14. If you want that 4x4, better go buy it now.

Then the Integrated Resource Plan magically appeared in the government gazette on the 31^st December. As expected, a depressingly low 1020 MW is allocated to both the Medium-Term Power Purchase Plan (MTPPP) (for Independent Power Producers) and to the Renewable Energy Feed In Tariff (REFIT). 725 MW (I’ve heard) is for the Renewables, of which 400 MW will be wind. A tiny amount by all accounts. And amazingly they think they can get all of this online by 2011, starting 1^st March? Where’s the Power Purchase Agreement?

Of course, it should also be noted that this national plan does not align with ESKOM’s plans (surprise surprise). Read this article where the WWF takes the differences between the two to pieces: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/tick-the-box-style-power-plan-slammed-by-wwf-2010-01-14

Frank