MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Questions were raised over the weekend regarding 1 800 solar geysers currently in storage in Mossel Bay.
This followed the sharing of a post on social media on 14 November by Kevin Mileham, a Democratic Alliance Member of Parliament and the Shadow Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy.
The geysers are part of the Solar Water Heater Project, approved for Mossel Bay in 2017.
The entire project will be overseen by the Central Energy Fund and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE). Arrangements were made for the units to be stored by the Mossel Bay Municipality at storage facilities in Hartenbos and KwaNonqaba. The units only arrived during January 2020.
On Friday, 13 November, the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy (PCMRE), following its site visit to the PetroSA Gas to Liquid refinery, also did an inspection at the two facilities where the solar water geyser units are stored. In a statement released this week, the PCMRE noted that although the solar geyser project started in 2013, only five units have since been installed as a training pilot.
When asked about this, the Mossel Bay Municipality confirmed that the units were still in good condition and that arrangements were being made by the Central Energy Fund for the units to be installed from 23 November.
From what is known, some of the roofs where the geysers are to be installed are not strong enough for installation. It is said that service providers responsible for the installation have not yet completed training to do so.
The Mossel Bay Advertiser directed questions regarding the project to Mpho Mthembu of the Central Energy Fund. The Advertiser made enquiries regarding the service providers identified to do the installations, what their training entailed and when the training would be completed.
In her reply, Mthembu said the training was being offered to unemployed youth of Mossel Bay to become installer assistants. Training is offered mainly to support installation as well as maintenance of the units after installation and consists of classroom-based theory and simulation as well as workplace training.
The training programme includes the application of health, safety and environmental principles in work areas; reading and interpretations of drawings and specifications; mounting of solar water heater systems; and the application plumbing principles for hot water installations.
Once trained, the people will be certified competent by the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA).
The Advertiser enquired about the process of identifying the areas and beneficiaries where installations will be done.
According to Mthembu, installation has started in Sonskynvallei and will later continue in other areas including KwaNonqaba, Asla Park, Albert Luthuli, Great Brak River and D'Almeida.
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