Making the announcement during a parliamentary media briefing on Friday on behalf of Minerals and Energy Minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Telecommunications Minister Ivy Matsepe Casaburri said this meant a new form of energy carrier would be available to develop new industries.

The minister also said the Energy Distribution Restructuring Bill would be reissued for comment this year on completion of the intergovernmental process.

The Electricity Distribution Industry holding company was formed in July last year as a project management company to drive the restructuring process and the formation of the regional electricity distributors. Executive management was appointed recently.

Meanwhile, the implementation of the empowerment charter for the liquid-fuels sector was proceeding well and it was expected that the target of approximately a quarter of all assets to be in the hands of the previously disadvantaged would be achieved by 2004-05.

Regarding the controversial Convergence Bill, which attempts to govern all types of telecommunication technologies uniformly, Matsepe-Casaburri said it would be redrafted and resubmitted to cabinet.

However, she said there were a lot of misunderstandings about the bill, for example that it would be necessary to register websites. Final inputs were due this month.