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President Cyril Ramaphosa.
- President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced plans to increase Eskom’s power supply capacity by more than a third.
- This will be achieved through a variety of sources, including solar, wind, gas, coal, and storage.
- It says progress is being made to overcome the challenges Eskom has faced over the years.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced big plans to increase Eskom’s capacity to supply electricity after many years of instability and falling loads.
CYRIL RAMAPHOSA | Eskom: We are making progress in overcoming challenges
In his weekly bulletin to the nation, the president said the government had published ministerial determinations that would allow the development of more than 11,800MW of additional power generation, in addition to the approximately 30,000MW of electricity available on the national grid daily.
“As a government, we have decided that to grow our economy and attract investment, secure and sustainable energy supply is paramount. Therefore, it is vital that we significantly and rapidly increase our electricity generation capacity,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa added that the new energy would come from a variety of sources, including solar, wind, gas, coal, and storage.
“While meeting our energy needs in the future, this new capacity will also help us meet our international obligations to reduce carbon emissions,” he said.
This electricity will be purchased through a transparent bidding process that prioritizes competitiveness and profitability.
“More importantly, at a time when power supply is severely restricted, new generation projects that can be connected to the grid as soon as possible will be prioritized,” Ramaphosa said.
As we begin the long and difficult recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, we can draw encouragement, confidence, and hope from the steps we are taking now to address our immediate electrical challenges and secure our power supply in the future. https://t.co/usmofCUFyV pic.twitter.com/jeBrmW7R6b
– Cyril Ramaphosa ???? #StaySafe (@CyrilRamaphosa) September 28, 2020
He added that, in an effort to facilitate power self-generation and as part of the reform process, the government eliminated the license requirement for self-generation projects of less than 1MW. So far, 156 self-generation facilities have been registered below 1MW, with a total installed capacity of 72MW, he said.
Stabilization of state enterprises
“As part of our regulatory reforms, draft amendments to the regulations that would allow reputable municipalities to source their own energy from independent energy producers will be published soon.
“Stabilizing our state-owned companies is an important part of the reform process. In this regard, we are working to restore Eskom’s operational capabilities and restructure Eskom to fundamentally change the way we generate and transmit electricity in our country. Our vision is to lead South Africa through a just transition ensuring that as many people as possible benefit from the investment, growth and job creation that we can achieve by expanding our electricity generating capacity, “said Ramaphosa.
He said that progress was being made to overcome the challenges Eskom faced over several years.
“Municipal debt collection improvements continue. Despite the recent challenges we have faced with reducing loads, maintenance work continues at the power plants.
Reduce the impact on companies
“The progress we are making in the area of energy policy reform is not only critical to solving the current power supply crisis. It will begin to reduce the impact of power outages on businesses. It will create investment opportunities, and upstream and downstream industrialization opportunities, as we build new generation capacity and expand the electrical grid in the coming years. “
Ramaphosa said the developments represent a huge and fundamental step forward in the implementation of the government’s ambitious energy plan.
“The acquisition of energy from independent producers will significantly increase investment in the sector, particularly in renewable energy and gas. This will attract more investment in energy and create much-needed jobs, and stimulate commercial development and localization.”
“These and other economic reforms that will be undertaken in the coming months will undoubtedly establish a firm and lasting foundation for the return to growth and job creation that South Africa urgently needs,” he added.
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