The Department of Energy (DoE) was committed to publishing the second integrated resource plan (IRP2) by June this year, deputy director general of hydrocarbons and energy planning Tseliso Maqubela told delegates at the Energy Indaba in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

He noted that a draft IRP2 would be published by no later than May.

However, before being revealed to the public the draft would be presented to a panel of experts, to be appointed by the DoE director general (DG), for their critique and consideration.

This would ensure that some potential issues could already have been rectified.

Simulataneously, the department would start with planning for an integrated energy plan, for which it would unveil a strategy in the course of this year.

Further, Maqubela noted that South Africa would not wait until it was completely at the mercy of oil imports before taking a decision on building a crude oil refinery in the country.

In response to recent debates about whether the country should invest about $9-billion on the proposed Coega oil refinery, he noted that South Africa's oil imports would continue, leading to a higher balance of payments that would eventually hit consumers.

"We can't leave the situation of crude imports to continue," he stated.

He added that a refinery hub in Southern Africa was needed to meet the fuel needs of the region.

Meanwhile, Maqubela noted that the DoE was aiming to also ensure security of supply of liquid fuels during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. To that end, the department had already engaged with the Airports Company South Africa, Transnet and other energy industry participants to plan for this.

Maqubela further pointed out that the department's focus would this year fall on strengthening the regulatory processes and to provide clarity in areas where there was some confusion.