Deputy Energy Minister Barbara Thomson has called on South Africa to urgently implement practices that reduced energy usage and carbon emissions, while creating much needed jobs.

Her call comes at a time when the country was preparing to host the all-important COP 17 climate change talks in Durban in December.

“It is clear that without delay we need to implement practices that will reduce demand, choose cleaner sources and deploy the best available energy technologies that will create much needed jobs,” she said.

Thomson was speaking at the opening of the Windaba (Wind) conference and exhibition in Cape Town on Tuesday.

The conference was attended by government officials, business and international organisations, among others.

She said that Cabinet’s approval of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) was “ground breaking” as it ensured “low carbon future” and allowed the participation of Independent Power Producers (IPP).

Thomson said that the IRP was approved with a 42% complement of all new energy generation to be delivered by renewable energy technologies.

She highlighted that wind generation made up 8 000 MW of the department up to 2030.

However, she said that in trying to implement an energy mix, which included wind power, South Africa faced challenges such as lack financial support from the international community as “envisaged under the climate change discourse (CO17)” coming up in Durban in December.

She said the global economic meltdown also made financing more difficult and reduced the urgency to introduce new generation capacity.

The deputy minister told the delegates that the government was open to partnerships to find “common solutions to the broader challenges of economic growth and job creation.”

She said that “energy saving holds the upside in the shortest term” and people should be educated on saving power.

The conference closes on Thursday.