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SPEECH BY THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT, MS. DIPUO PETERS, MP, ON THE OCCASION OF THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE KIMBERLEY AIRPORT SOLAR PLANT, 13 MAY 2016, KIMBERLEY, NORTHERN CAPE
The MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison in the NC Province, Ms Pauline Williams;
MEC for Education Ms Martha Bartlett
MEC for Economic Development Mr Mac Jack;
Clr Mr Ntlangula
Advocate Kenosi Moroka Acsa Board
ACSA CEO, Mr Bongani Maseko;
Officials from the three spheres of government
All our industry partners and stakeholders
Ladies and gentlemen of the media;
Distinguished guests;
Goeie môre! Molweni! Dumelang!
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It is said that “Diamonds have an image of purity and light. They are given as a pledge of love and worn as a symbol of commitment (Peter Singer, Australian Moral Philosopher)”.
Therefore, it is true that a highly compelling analogy can be made between the gesture of diamond gifting and the ANC government’s commitment to reversing the immensely pernicious legacy of apartheid.
Although much more needs to be done to eradicate the triple challenges of unemployment, inequality and poverty, many millions of South Africans continue to have access to quality health care and education while electricity and drinkable water are becoming increasingly available and millions more of South Africans have decent housing to call home. This is indeed a good story to tell; it is a story of mutual love and it is a story of conjoint dedication between a government and citizens to re- build a sparkling nation that was torn apart by years of racial exclusivity.
Thomas Carlyle’s admission that “Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with” rings true given that South Africa was unearthed as one of the African continents brightest hopes for the actualisation of the African Renaissance after the formal demise of apartheid in 1994.
Furthermore, it is undeniable that the Freedom Charter of 1955 and the Constitution of 1996 are borne out of love and the burning desire to restore the dignity of those who were marginalised, subjugated and oppressed under the racially segregationist oligarchs who pursued onerous apartheid dogmas. These two important documents affirm that the ANC government will never be divorced from the realities of the
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plight faced by our most poverty-stricken people and that government will never go back on its promises to deliver services to its people.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Today we have purposefully convened, here in the diamond capital of South Africa, to official open the Kimberley Airport Solar Plant. The construction of the solar plant started on 18 September 2015 and was completed within 24 weeks on 18 April 2016.
It would not be far-fetched to consider the solar plant as the second crown jewel of six because the completion of the solar power plant at Kimberley Airport forms part of Airports Company South Africa’s (ACSA) broader plan to install solar energy plants at all six regional airports over the next three to five years to make them more self-sufficient.
In line with the South African government’s sustainable development imperatives, energy security priorities and environmental conservation obligations, we are launching South Africa’s second solar powered airport hot on the heels of the official unveiling of our first – the George Airport Solar Plant, which was opened on 26 February 2016. Our Moroccan counterparts launched the world’s largest Concentrated Solar Plant in the same month.
Thus, South Africa and the rest of the African continent’s stock in the renewable energy sector keeps on rising swiftly yet this is only just the beginning.
Programme Director;
Those who are of us who are renewable energy savvy would know that utilising solar energy involves extracting power from the sun, it is the Page 3 of 7
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cleanest and most abundant source and is dichotomised into: Solar Photovoltaic (PV) and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP).
The Kimberley Airport Solar Plant will utilise Solar PV which means that sunlight will be directly converted into electricity using sun ray absorbing panels. This in contrast to the indirect Solar CSP method that uses sunlight to heat other sources of energy such as fuels or water (to create steam) in order generate electricity.
Installed at the state of the art Kimberley Airport Solar Plant, are 1620 PV panels and 18 inverters, where solar radiation energy is converted into electricity. The plant is designed to deliver 500 KWp of peak production per year.
Furthermore, the solar farm is located on 0.7 hectares of land within the airport precinct and uses an 11kV substation as its main source of supply, which is also located on the airport’s land.
To date, the plant has generated 141 870 kWh and is forecasted to produced approximately 927 000 kilowatt hours per year.
Ladies and gentlemen;
Without going any further, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) for assuming an indelible and commanding role in the realisation this amazing infrastructure project.
ACSA has a statutory responsibility to manage, mitigate and report environmental issues at its nine airports. The solar energy plant lends plenty of credence to your wonderful image as a responsible contributor to the environment.
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Allow me to also extend my uppermost felicitations to the CEO of ACSA, Mr Bongani Maseko, for his deserved appointment as the Vice Chairman of Airports Council International, which is the umbrella body for airports across the world. Cheers to you good Sir!
Your diligence and ingenuity know no bounds because I understand that the construction of the Solar Plant at Upington International Airport, commenced on 7 October 2015 and was fully completed and commissioned by 20 April 2016. That is a third solar plant completed in almost no time.
Thanks to your leadership and the efforts of your brilliant team, the Northern Cape Province now boast two world class airports that are in keeping with international climate change convention resolutions.
The Upington Airport plant occupies 0.66 hectares whilst the Kimberley plant takes up 0.69 hectares of land. The Upington solar power plant was built at a cost of R12.6 million and the Kimberley Airport plant cost R13 million.
During the 24-week construction period, of the Kimberley Airport Solar Plant, five permanent and 26 temporary employment opportunities were created. In addition, rigorous practical training and skills transfer to operate and maintain the PV plant was conducted which included cleaning modules, replacing malfunctioning electrical components and monitoring performance of PV plant, amongst other technical skills.
This pays testament to the ANC government’s service delivery wielding quest to lift its people out of poverty, to create wealth and ensure the
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socio-economic prosperity of the South African people as enunciated in the National Development Plan (NDP).
The other three remaining regional airports are: Port Elizabeth International Airport, East London Airport and Bram Fischer International Airport in Bloemfontein and, on previous and current evidence, I have no doubts on the celerity and quality of their completion.
It is worth noting that the first header under President Zuma’s Nine Point Plain is entitled “Resolving the Energy Challenge”, therefore, the main goal is to take the regional airports off the grid, relieving the local and national constraint on the power grid, thus reducing the impact for load shedding on operations and business continuity.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Just as the Kimberley Big Hole is widely recognised as the biggest man- made excavation, I can liken the apartheid system with digging and plunging an entire nation into an abyss. Notwithstanding that many beautiful gem stones have been unearthed from the Kimberley Big Hole, I consider every patriotic South African to be a beautiful gem that has been polished by our emphatic triumph over apartheid.
True to the moral fabric of the founding fathers of our young democratic nation, the government’s devotion to transforming South Africa from an abysmal pariah state to a thriving developmental state is evident in the esteemed standing our country enjoys in the world economy, our bourgeoning middle class and the world class infrastructure our country boasts.
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With that being said, only a few people would disagree with the notion that our august gathering serves to reaffirm the ANC government’s commitment to obliterate the remaining hideous vestiges of the apartheid system by creating a united and prosperous South African nation premised on universal isonomy and respect for human dignity.
Please allow me to conclude by adding that the South African government loves its people abundantly. In the same breath, I am adamant that we all appreciate that love is a two way stream. I therefore want to call on our people to refrain from destroying critical infrastructure and to get involved in the local government elections because local government is in your hands!
I now officially declare the Kimberley Airport Solar Plant open.
I THANK YOU!!!
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