Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, says that while the government and Eskom work to address issues within the power utility, there is also a concerted effort to introduce additional generation capacity from renewable sources to safeguard energy security for the future.
The minister was speaking during an update on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan on Monday.
“We are really looking long-term and introducing interventions that can make it possible for us to introduce new generation capacity from a multiplicity of fuel sources and players to ensure that we are not confronted with the same problem going into the future.
“Now we are looking beyond Eskom as part of an enduring resilient solution to the energy crisis and ultimately, we are able to achieve energy sovereignty,” he said.
The minister said government is “doing everything possible” to ensure that new generation projects are brought into the fold.
He added that currently, there are about 120 projects with some 12 000 megawatts.
“There is a need for us to expedite the applications for new generation. We are departing from the current arrangement. So, a project developer will go to a number of departments…to get the environmental impact assessment… They [then] lodge an application with the Department of Water Affairs for water use licence, and they’ll lodge an application again with Eskom for grid access.
“What we have done is to create a single window of entry, what we refer to as a one stop shop, so that project developers don’t necessarily have that onerous responsibility of going to multiple departments. They simply go onto this platform and they are able to make these applications,” he said.
Ramokgopa said Eskom and the government are working hard to ensure a reduction in the amount of time it takes for renewable energy resources to be connected to the grid, with backlogs receiving urgent attention.
“There’s additional work that is being done to ensure that we are able to introduce new generation capacity, that there’s no overreliance just on Eskom. The introduction of reforms is beginning to see practical progress.
"The measure of that progress is in the number of megawatts that we are able to receive,” he said.
Winter is coming
Ramokgopa stressed the importance of aattending to six power stations before the colder months, typically starting in May, when Eskom faces increased demand, posing a risk of heightened load shedding.
The minister highlighted the necessity of immediate action on the following power stations - Tutuka, Kendal, Kusile, and Majuba - as they offer promising returns.
The minister clarified that while maintenance and upgrades are planned across Eskom's entire fleet, these specific stations have been flagged for additional attention due to their problematic status.
Details regarding the impact of planned maintenance on grid pressure were not disclosed.
As per Eskom's recent update on March 23, 6,705 MW of electricity is offline for planned maintenance, with an additional 14,428 MW offline for unplanned maintenance.
Ramokgopa indicated that Eskom will unveil its winter load shedding strategy at a later date.
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