South Africa faces possible fuel shortages during the 2010 Soccer World Cup, Independent Online quoted a government official as saying on Wednesday.
"In the third quarter of 2009 we are expecting that South Africa won't be able to supply our inland (fuel) needs unless something drastic is done," Nhlanhla Gumede, deputy director of SA Hydrocarbons and Energy Planning, told Parliament during a briefing on the government's energy master plan.
"If we don't do anything we are likely to have a problem in 2010."
One solution to a possible inland fuel shortage lay in Transnet's 11 billion rand multi-product pipeline between Durban and Johannesburg. It was expected to come into operation by 2010 but was already behind construction schedule.
Gumede said the economy would lose about R1 billion a day without liquid fuels.
He said that Africa's largest economy, a net importer of crude oil, was struggling to store enough fuel to last beyond 10 days.
A new Energy Bill before Parliament proposed strategic fuel stocks last at least 60 days, and commercial stocks 28 days.
Source:Xinhua
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