Gas Industry Urged to Collaborate and Clarify Policy Regulation Amid Growing Energy Demands

The role of a regulator and policymaker is not just to enforce existing rules. Our responsibility is to enable the gas sector to flourish," said Tseliso Maqubela, Deputy Director-General at the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy. "Safety regulators are the ones focused on enforcement-we are here to support growth through policy and regulation.

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Addressing the looming "gas cliff," Maqubela emphasised the need to broaden participation. "We need to make the circle bigger. The gas experts are here, the regulators are here-but some key players are still missing."

One of those missing, he noted, is the Competition Commission. "There shouldn't be a gap between the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) and the Competition Commission. If the two are not aligned, it will create confusion in the market. We need all stakeholders on the same page."

Sayidini warned against leaving the symposium with the impression that coordination is lacking. "We had good coordination once-it worked. Somewhere along the line, we lost it. Now we need to rebuild it. And it's not only up to politicians to do that."

Concerns were raised about South Africa's energy readiness for the near future. "Some of us are very worried about 2025. Just look at Eskom's current fleet and project forward to 2050-how many new plants do we need, and do we have the time and resources to build the systems we need?" said Tseliso Maqubela, deputy director-general in the DMRE, Tseliso Maqubela. Maqubela also highlighted frustration around the slow pace of legislative reform. "Expecting people to invest when laws are under consideration is simply not fair."