US embassy cable - 05PRETORIA1469

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 001469 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES/EGC/BDEROSA-JOYNT, WFARNETH 
STATE FOR OES/OES/STC/JROTTIER, OES/PCI/ESHAW 
STATE FOR AF/S, AF/EPS, NP/NE 
DOE FOR EE/RDIXON, MMILLS, NE-2.4 
DOE/NNSA FOR NA-241 AND NA-243 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12948: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG, SENV, KNNP, TRGY, EAID, TSPL, SF 
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR 
HYDROGEN ECONOMY, OTHER ENERGY ISSUES 
 
REF: PARIS 1008 
 
(U) SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.  Not 
for Internet distribution. 
 
1. (U) Summary: South Africa's Department of Science & 
Technology (DST) has begun to play a stronger leadership 
role on research and development (R&D) issues in energy.  In 
the upcoming months, DST will take the lead on key USG- 
initiated energy initiatives, establish a new National 
Energy Research Institute and develop a national R&D 
strategy and action plan.  End summary. 
 
2. (SBU) EST Officer met on April 12 with Department of 
Science and Technology (DST) Director for Resource-Based 
Industries, Dr. Boni Mehlomakulu, to discuss DST's role and 
interest in energy-related research and development.  Dr. 
Mehlomakulu said that a "single utterance" in a Cabinet 
meeting in mid-2004 about "who knows what the Americans are 
doing on hydrogen?" generated a great deal of high level 
interest in the issue, and led to follow up briefings and 
DST's taking on a leadership role. 
 
3. (U) Dr. Mehlomakulu said that DST is now concentrating on 
several aspects of energy research policy, in coordination 
with other government departments.  The first is to 
establish a National Energy Research Institute (NERI) before 
year-end.  NERI will coordinate most R&D activities in 
energy, and will focus on supporting research for the public 
good, in particular, meeting energy needs of the rural 
population.  The lead on nuclear energy research will remain 
with the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME).  NERI will 
work closely with existing research institutions, such as 
the Energy Research Center at the University of Cape Town, 
and will identify ongoing efforts and analyze gaps in 
research that need to be addressed.  NERI will locate its 
offices in Johannesburg's Rosebank suburb, joining the site 
of the Central Energy Fund and related energy organizations. 
Over time, DST hopes that NERI will develop into an 
equivalent to Mintek, a parastatal that carries out applied 
research in minerals and metallurgy. 
 
4. (U) DST also is working with DME to develop a National 
Energy Research & Development Strategy and an accompanying 
Strategic Action Plan for Energy.  These documents will 
identify priorities and help in mobilizing funding from 
Treasury and other sources for energy research. 
 
5. (SBU) DST will also take lead responsibility for South 
Africa's participation in the Carbon Sequestration 
Leadership Forum and efforts to join the International 
Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy.  Dr. Mehlomakulu noted 
that late last year she received approval to do a "baseline 
study" for hydrogen/fuel cells research, which led to 
efforts to develop a road map and strategy to present to 
Treasury for funding support.  She indicated that South 
Africa will not reapply for membership in IPHE until it has 
further developed its strategy and identified funding 
sources, and is in a position to "do it right"-probably not 
until some time in 2006.  She noted that her Minister voiced 
embarrassment over how DME had handled the application 
letter submitted to the IPHE Secretariat in January 2005 
(Reftel). 
 
6. (SBU) DST and the South African Fuel Cells Initiative 
(which she described as a loose grouping of interested 
parties who mostly complain about the lack of SAG funding 
and strategic thinking on fuel cells) are jointly hosting a 
South African Hydrogen/Fuel Cell Indaba in May 2005, 
targeted at high level officials.  USDOE has been invited to 
make a presentation.  DST's goal is to raise awareness and 
generate feedback from academia and corporations on energy 
research priorities.  Later in the year, Dr. Mehlomakulu 
hopes to organize a study tour to the United  States for a 
group of South African representatives; EST Officer offered 
to work with Washington agencies to help identify useful 
contacts and facilitate meetings. 
 
7. (SBU) The Department of Minerals and Energy retains its 
lead on nuclear energy.  Dr. Mehlomakulu said that DST will 
continue to play a supportive role, particularly relating to 
the science & technology aspects of the Pebble Bed Nuclear 
Reactor.  She affirmed that DME has kept DST informed of 
bilateral negotiations on U.S. proposed R&D agreements on 
nuclear energy and nuclear materials safeguards 
technologies. 
 
8. (SBU) Comment: DST's stepped-up engagement on energy R&D 
is a positive development.  Although it is a young 
department and is still building capacity, DST is relatively 
apolitical and results-oriented.  DST usually works well 
with other government departments, given the cross-cutting 
nature of science and technology. 
 
9.(SBU) Brief bio notes: Dr. Mehlomakulu is young, 
competent, and ambitious.  She joined the Department of 
Science & Technology in 2003.  She studied engineering at 
university, and said her passion was catalysis.  She has 
never visited the United States but her husband, an 
environmental scientist with KPMG, studied there.  She 
previously worked for energy company SASOL, first at the 
company's chemicals complex in Sasolburg, in the Free State 
Province, and later at Johannesburg corporate headquarters 
in SASOL Oil's strategic planning group, but said she left 
in part because her white male colleagues resented her and 
created a hostile and negative work environment; she said 
she hopes to make her mark elsewhere and eventually return 
to SASOL at a higher level in the future. 
 
FRAZER