Monday, 14 September 2020: Eskom is pleased to note that the National Energy
Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has concurred with the ministerial
determination for the procurement of 11 813MW of electricity generation
infrastructure as issued by the minister of Mineral Resources and Energy in
February 2020. This is part of the power infrastructure to be procured under
the Integrated Resources Plan of 2019 (IRP2019) over the years to 2030.
“Given the current supply constraints, this additional
generation capacity is urgently required, and will be an important contribution
towards ending loadshedding and ensuring energy security for the country,” says Eskom CEO André de Ruyter.
Eskom is looking forward to collaborating with the
Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) and the IPP Office to enable
an accelerated execution to bring additional capacity onto the grid in the
shortest space of time possible.
Eskom is also pleased to note the progress with the
procurement of the 2 000MW emergency power, which it hopes will start
being connected to the national grid by December 2021.
While the 2 000MW emergency procurement is a step
in the right direction, Eskom would like to stress the immediate need to
urgently accelerate the procurement of at least 3 000MW of further
generation capacity to help ease the supply constraints the country is
currently going through.
As Eskom has often stated, enabling the emergency procurement
of 5 000MW additional generation capacity is critical to keep the lights
on and help power the rebuilding of an economy decimated by the Covid-19
pandemic. Bringing in additional generation capacity will also help take the
pressure off Eskom and create space for the maintenance of its ageing power
stations while powering a growing economy.
ENDS