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By Lyse Comins 
4h ago
Durban – eThekwini Municipality has developed a new energy policy that aims to reduce the cost of electricity for consumers by generating their own power and purchasing from Independent Power Producers (IPP) to dramatically reduce their dependence on Eskom.
The eThekwini Renewable Energy Roadmap technical report builds on the findings of the Energy Strategic Roadmap (ESR), a study commissioned under the C40 Cities Clean Energy Technical Assistance Program, to help the municipality achieve its climate action goals for 2030 and 2050.
The municipality’s chief financial officer, Krish Kumar, said the goal of the policy, which is expected to be released soon for public comment, was to increase the city’s use of renewable energy and take it off the Eskom grid as far as possible. possible.
Kumar said the city had welcomed the long-awaited amendments to the Electricity Regulations on New Generation Capacity in terms of the Electricity Regulation Act of 2006, which the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, published on Friday. .
The amendment includes the capacity of a municipality to “request the minister (of Mineral Resources and Energy) to acquire or purchase new generation capacity in accordance with the Integrated Resource Plan” subject to a feasibility study and compliance with the provisions of the Municipal Financial Management Law. , 2003, and Regulation of Municipal Public Private Partnerships. “This is welcome so the city can buy directly from IPPs and I think it helps us disconnect from the grid,” Kumar said.
“The important thing for the city is the price, and is it going to be heavily regulated and supplied at a price that makes it unaffordable?”
Kumar said the city had finalized the report, which was presented and approved at the last council meeting.
“We have just come up with a plan for 2050 in terms of going off the grid. What we will do in the next few years is an evolving strategy to move to renewable energy and derive energy from IPPs, ”said Kumar.
According to the policy document, Eskom’s renewable energy targets are not high enough to allow the municipality of eThekwini to achieve its own internal targets to achieve 40% renewable generation by 2030 and 100% by 2050.
“Eskom’s purchasing power costs have increased and are expected to continue to do so. The higher energy costs are being passed on to residents and businesses within the municipality. Until recently, legislation did not allow the municipality of eThekwini to purchase power privately from independent power producers. Now that this is possible, the municipality has the opportunity to transition its energy supply to one that is renewable and lower cost. This will help ensure that renewable generation targets are met and, at the same time, reduce electricity costs for the municipality and, in turn, residents and businesses within its jurisdiction, ”the report reads.
“In addition to transitioning to a more renewable supply of imported electricity, the municipality also has an ambition to reduce energy costs for residents and businesses by generating renewable energy.”
The study found that the most viable technologies for use within the municipality were photovoltaic (PV) solar panels; biomass (including local forestry and bagasse resources); small-scale hydropower; gas extraction from landfills and wastewater treatment sites and on-site wind power. However, it recommended that biomass generation be excluded from the mix as it is costly.
Energy extraction from landfills and wastewater treatment sites was found to be limited due to the low expected yields of these systems, while wind power generation was found to be limited due to environmental sensitivities and sparse housing, which reduced the availability of land for turbine installations.
“The share of power generation resulting from the recommended scenario implies that around 79% of the energy will be imported into the municipality, and the rest will be generated within it; about 20% from solar photovoltaic energy and the rest from wind energy, wastewater, landfill gas and hydroelectric energy, ”the report says.
Mluleki Mtungwa, spokesperson for eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, who is also the Vice Chair of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group for Africa, said the mayor had taken note of the amendments to the regulations.
“We will be able to give a detailed answer once we have studied them,” he said.
GroundWork researcher David Hallowes welcomed the policy which he said indicated “a profound change in direction, opening a new path” for the municipality.
“In many ways, it seems like the kind of system we’ve been championing. They should seek to maximize the city’s own generation and the community-based generation, ”he said.
“The use of biogas from wastewater is welcome, but it implies that all your wastewater plants must be maintained and function properly, which is not the case today. We do not favor landfill gas as it is contaminated by the rest of the garbage, ”said Hallowes.
He said that the initiative should be accompanied by a parallel revolution in waste management with organic waste separated at source and fed to biogas digesters.
The Mercury
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