Ramaphosa’s leaked energy plan to improve Eskom’s capacity

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s proposed emergency energy plan to end load shedding has reportedly been leaked ahead of its release to the public.

The plan involves a two-pronged approach that focuses on improving Eskom’s capacity and increasing energy supply, according to a Fin24 report.

Plan to end load shedding

The plan was reportedly presented on Monday morning, to political parties by the Presidency.

Ramaphosa has been promising to announce the plan to the nation, after bringing all the relevant government departments and entities to work on a package of measures to add additional power to the grid in the short term.

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Fin24 reported that the plan included accelerating government’s procurement of renewable energy, gas and battery storage, as well as improving Eskom’s plant performance and adding new generation capacity to the grid as quickly as possible.

No state of emergency

While the plan apparently made mention of exploring new legislation, for example, to regulate licensing of own generation projects – government also wants to “open the floodgates for private investment in generation”.

However, the plan did not suspend legislation or enforce a state of emergency or disaster to deal with South Africa’s energy crises.

Below is a summary of the key points from the reported leaked plan:

• Removing barriers to investment in new capacity by procuring excess energy from a range of sources like independent private power producers (IPPs) and private businesses.
• Bringing back former Eskom employees to ensure there are capable skills and leadership at the power utility’s stations.
• Ensuring adequate budgets for maintenance of power stations.
• Adequate diesel supplies by improving logistics and diesel storage capacity.
• Allowing Eskom “procure immediately available power generation solutions on an emergency basis for two to three years, while ensuring transparency and cost-effectiveness”.

READ: Load shedding on the cards after five units trip at Kriel Power Station

DA calls for State of Disaster

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) called for government to declare a ring-fenced State of Disaster in the electricity sector.

DA leader, John Steenhuisen, briefed the media on Monday, after meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa on the proposed emergency energy plan.

Steenhuisen outlined the DA’s short and medium-term steps to resolve the energy crisis, saying a State of Disaster would suspend all legislation currently blocking solutions to end load shedding.

The DA’s plan included, among others, allowing all municipalities in good financial standing to procure, generate and store their own electricity, waiving all local content requirements for electricity procurement as well as putting aside all preferential procurement requirements.

The official opposition party also called for an emergency electricity commission to be headed up by a power utility specialist to deal with the crisis.

“Each of these steps are critical to the recovery of our electricity generation capacity, and they must be announced without delay.

“If ever there was a moment to shake this presidency from its slumber and inaction, it is this electricity crisis which threatens to sink our economy and plunge millions more South Africans into unemployment and poverty,” Steenhuisen said.

At the weekend, Ramaphosa told the ANC’s KwaZulu-Natal conference in Durban he would present government’s emergency energy plan in the next few days.

Compiled by Thapelo Lekabe

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