The premiers of the two provinces made the announcements in their state of the province addresses, a week after President Thabo Mbeki apologised to the blackout-hit nation for what he described as an energy ‘emergency'.

In Cape Town, Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool said municipalities in the province had agreed on an electricity saving plan that would "almost" eliminate the need for power cuts.

Delivering his state of the province address, he said the agreement was reached at a meeting of mayors, the provincial government, Eskom and the Energy Risk Management Committee earlier this week.

The savings target had been set at 500 megawatts. The Western Cape, largely dependent on the 1800-MW Koeberg nuclear power station, has been particularly vulnerable to power cuts.

Rasool said all municipalities would convene special council meetings in the next two weeks to decide how they would help meet the target.

The planned distribution of two million compact fluorescent lights would save 63 MW, while geyser management such as ‘ripple control' would save another 101 MW.

Other major savings would come from retrofitting buildings, installing domestic solar geysers, and what he called "consumer energy savings interventions".

Rasool said the province was aggressively promoting renewable energy and was drafting a sustainable energy act.

"As citizens of the Western Cape, we need to translate our actions now into a long term lifestyle and behavioural change," he said.

NO COEGA SMELTER RETHINK
Speaking in the Bhisho Stadium, Eastern Cape premier Nosimo Balindlela said there was no question of a rethink on the power-gobbling Alcan smelter planned for Coega.

It has been reported that the plant will consume some 1 300 MW - said to be almost four percent of South Africa's electricity supply.

"Any talk that government or our parastatals are re-considering the aluminium smelter investment is deceitful," Balindlela said.

She said everyone was concerned about the "emergency" brought about by the current nationwide power cuts, but her government believed it provided an opportunity "for us to act in unity to ensure that our province's economic growth is not retarded".

Your government will continue to mobilise those resources which are required to leverage investment in our economy by the private sector.

"We are committed to the realisation of the Alcan investment in the smelter at Coega because this will lead to direct jobs as well as downstream business opportunities."

She thanked residents of the province for helping resolve the electricity crisis by following energy-saving initiatives.

Balindlela also said the state of fiscal governance in the provincial government remained "an area of concern".

In response, the province had drawn up an "audit intervention plan" - Sapa