Chairperson, I wish to thank all the members who participated in this debate. Many matters and challenges have been raised and I believe we, as public representatives of our people, shall be seized with seeking and finding amicable solutions to these challenges.
Again, I wish to emphasise that energy security and a sustainable supply of energy to our citizens is a collective responsibility. Constructive matters that were raised here will be given the necessary attention in seeking to keep our lights on, our economy productive, our cars on the road, our trains on the rail lines, and our planes in the sky.
The continued focus on Eskom is much welcomed and, in many respects, justifiable. But, Eskom does not report to the Department of Energy. Eskom reports to the Department of Public Enterprises. So, if you direct questions regarding Eskom to the Department of Energy, our standard response will be that Eskom does not report to the Department of Energy.
I need to assure this House and our people that, as government, the departments of Public Enterprises, National Treasury and Energy are engaging on the challenges relating to Eskom. We realise that it is these three departments, in particular, which should find solutions to those challenges.
I want to thank the Deputy Minister Ambassador Majola, the chairperson and members of the portfolio committee, and the members of the select committee for their guidance. I would like to thank the department's senior officials, the acting director-general in particular, for their continued support in pursuit of the achievement of our goals.
My appreciation is also extended to the state-owned entities and energy sector stakeholders for their invaluable support. I would like to extend my gratitude to Sasol for their support of the consultative fora - which we will continue to have - and we wish to encourage the private sector to assist us in having these consultative fora.
The Gas Utilisation Master Plan, Gump, will assist us in the infrastructure development, which will be necessary to open up the gas market for the residential, commercial and industrial sectors. These developments herald a new era in the exploitation of this resource. I wish to invite the private sector to prepare for their contribution in this regard.
We will release the outcomes of a gas feasibility study that is being completed in collaboration with Transnet, PetroSA, Eskom and government. The prospect for gas to replace imported crude oil in the transport sector is very high on government's agenda.
The development of shale gas cannot be dismissed or ignored. On the contrary, we should be learning from others on how best to exploit this resource in the least intrusive and environmentally prudent way.
In October 2013, the Minister of Energy determined 2015 as the date by which crude oil refining companies will have to blend biofuels into petrol and diesel on a mandatory basis. This has provided certainty to the funders of the potential biofuel manufacturers that their product will indeed enter the market through oil companies. Thousands of jobs are expected to be created through the biofuels value chain.
We intend to strengthen the policy and planning capacity within our department so that we indeed have policy certainty. The Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill has to be passed in this cycle and will be passed. The National Energy Regulator Amendment Bill, which will improve the credibility of the decision-making process, has to be passed. The Gas Amendment Bill will promote efficient, competitive and responsive economic growth and will leverage available gas resources. I ask the members of this committee to assist in the passing of this legislation.
The Independent System and Market Operator Bill - which is aimed at assisting with the planning of generation, implementing electricity dispatch, co-ordinating electricity wholesale by generators, and providing for trading of electricity - also needs to be passed.
The support of the portfolio committee is sought to process these critical pieces of legislation and, in so doing, provide further support in our efforts towards a more responsive energy system.
Hon members, Team Energy is energised to move South Africa forward, but we need the private sector labour, and the public sector to move the energy sector forward. I invite all South Africans to be part of Team Energy.
It is my honour to present before this House the 2014-15 Budget Vote of the Department of Energy. I apologise to those in the overflow room where the connection was erratic. We hope that we will be able to give them a better copy of the budget speech. Chairperson and members of the committee, I thank you. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.