News

April 24, 2008

Homeland Energy Positions Itself To Capitalise On Rapid Growth In The World-Wide Energy Business

By Alastair Ford

Stephen Coates, chief executive of Homeland Energy has a very interesting rebuttal for those who are of the view that the current power crisis in South Africa is a sign that the whole country is going to hell in a hand-cart. But it isn’t the old liberal hand-wringing plea about giving the rainbow nation a chance, and more time. It’s more hard-edged than that, more on the money, and it points the gun right back into the face of the doubters. Strictly, his answer isn’t about South Africa at all. “Look at California. Or the UK”, he says. “They haven’t kept up their infrastructure. South Africa’s no different. The energy business world-wide is growing at a pace that nobody predicted”. He’s right of course, on virtually all counts.

Whether or not South Africa will go to hell on a hand-cart only time will tell. The ANC is gradually bedding down the country it’s inherited, and a new one party state is emerging. But one party states aren’t always broke and in ruins – just look at China. More pertinent to our immediate purposes, the UK the government has been rudderless on energy policy for years. The Labour administration has suddenly committed to a nuclear policy that it formerly despised only as it realized...