Restore the power grid | Sweet solution to energy crisis

JOHANNESBURG - The sugar industry has shed over 20,000 jobs as a result of the country’s energy crisis.

It's looking at alternative ways to survive by diversifying their focus.

As a crop, sugar cane can be processed to produce other by-products
that can be used towards generation of renewable energy and biochemicals.

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"With everything that’s going on we are looking at other diversification opportunities to see what the industry can do aside from producing sugar," said Sam Maphumulo from the South African Sugar Association.

"One of those things is co-generation were we can export some electricity to the grid. Sugar cane as a crop when its taken to the mills, we use it to generate our own electricity through combined heat and power," she said.

"We are looking at how we can expand that further to export some of this energy to the grid."