The Department of Energy (DoE) is progressing with the development of the second integrated resource plan, or IRP2010, and remains on track to deliver the document by September, Energy Minister Dipuo Peters told Engineering News Online on Friday.

Peters explained that consultations have been completed with working groups, and discussions would need to be held with the InterMinisterial Committee on energy before decisions were finalised.

The document would then be sent to the Cabinet, and if accepted, only then would it be made public.

The DoE is spearheading the IRP2010, which would determine South Africa's current and future energy requirements for the next 20 years.

Peters said previously that the country had reached a "delicate situation, which requires us to take bold and decisive decisions on whether to build coal-fired or nuclear power stations for baseload energy requirements".

Once decisions were articulated as to what percentage of energy was to be derived from which specific resources, it was expected to accelerate investment by the private sector.