Govt welcomes alternative to produce electricity

The Department of minerals and energy has given the thumbs-up for the first Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) consortium to explore coal bed methane energy reserves.

Director-general, Sandile Nogxina, says the partnership and joint venture between energy company GasCo and the Central Energy Fund come at a time when the country is experiencing serious challenges in terms of energy provision.

Executive member of GasCo, Billy Modise, says the project will create a cleaner alternative energy source. Modise says the private sector's involvement in natural gas exploration will save government millions of rands.