South Africa must act now, to bring an end to uncertainty and instability within the energy sector and ensure a secure, sustainable energy future for both our country and regional neighbours, who depend on South Africa for much of their power supply.

So says Greg Nott of Dewey & LeBoeuf, an international law firm with leading industry expertise in the mining and energy sectors. The firm is one of the major sponsors of next year’s Energy Indaba, which takes place at the Sandton Convention Centre from March 1 to 3 2011.

“Our energy sector is at a critical juncture – decisions we make today could determine our economic future for the next 20 years. Energy is the driver of the economy; Africa’s largest. It is vital to socio-economic development and for the well-being of other key sectors of the economy, such as mining.”

However, says Nott, pessimism is unwarranted. “There has been an enormous amount of effort and consultation by Government in developing sound and far-reaching energy policies. Our firm has engaged extensively with stakeholders in various consultative forums and committees and it has become apparent that stakeholders agree: policy is moving in the right direction.”

He adds: “The concern and, in some instances, frustration, remains that there is a glaring disconnect between policy development and implementation. What we urgently need now, is action to finalise policy and regulations so we can move forward.”

Nott is calling on all stakeholders in the energy sector to throw their weight behind Energy Indaba 2011. He says the conference comes at exactly the right time for South Africa, and must strive to achieve, at the end of all the deliberations and discussions, an action plan supported by all stakeholders.

“South Africa has shown time and time again that when it comes to the crunch we can pull out all the stops to get it right,” he says. “We did this as a country in the 1990s, planning our democratic future. We hosted a triumphant 1995 Rugby World Cup that became the symbol of the Rainbow Nation. And this year we followed up with a Soccer World Cup that was lauded the world over.”

 “It’s time to roll up our sleeves and build a bridge to a secure energy future, with clarity of purpose and an appreciation of just how close we are to the solutions. This is well within the scope of our will and abilities.”