Ramaphosa promises to ‘do more to solve load shedding’

Over the past two weeks, South Africans have been without electricity for hours a day, with Eskom’s load shedding schedule bouncing between the various stages of power cuts. Ramaphosa, however, made a promise.

In his weekly letter, From the Desk of the President, he vowed to “do more to solve load shedding”, which has not only caused hardships but also disrupted the economy.

SA’s load shedding troubles

Stage 6 load shedding was triggered by the loss of over 18,000 megawatts (MW) due to unit breakdowns and an unprotected strike by Eskom workers.

Ramaphosa said after a decade of electricity shortages, and load shedding seemingly worsening by the year, South Africans have every right to feel frustrated.

While it may appear as if nothing has been done, he said they have taken actions to stabilise the electrical system.

“The agreement reached between Eskom and labour unions will enable critical repairs and return additional units to operation”, Ramaphosa said.

“The transmission line from Cahora Bassa in Mozambique has been restored, adding 600 MW to the grid, and Medupi Unit 6 returned to service on Saturday, adding another 720 MW. Additional units will come back online during the coming week.”

Cable theft and vandalism

Load shedding is also worsened by cable theft, vandalism and fraud. Law enforcement agencies are working hard to combat these criminal actions which pose to the electricity system.

He said more capacity is needed on the grid, which will allow the utility to undertake critical maintenance and increase the reliability of its fleet.

If more capacity is added to the grid, when several units break down at once, other sources will be able to be alternatively used.

Renewable energy

Due to the severity of load shedding, Civil Society organisations have called for the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe to unlock the country’s renewable energy resources, as stated in the government’s integrated resource plan (IRP) in 2019.

Mantashe had explained that he is reluctant to move away from coal-fired energy plants because it will lead to costly electricity and loss of jobs.

Ramaphosa said one of the steps he took when he first came into office in 2018, was to revive the renewable energy procurement programme. 

In addition, the increase of the licensing threshold for new projects to 100 MW means that private investors do not need a licence to build generational facilities up to this size.

Pipeline investments

He said this has unlocked a massive potential pipeline investment.

“Eskom has made land available next to existing power stations for private investment in renewable energy projects. Design modifications have been completed to improve the performance of Medupi units 1, 2 and 3 and are underway in units 5 and 6,” read the weekly letter.

He said these significant actions will bear fruit but they are not enough to address the electric crisis in the county.

Furthermore, he said with the skills, capabilities and resources we have in the country, there is no reason we have to endure the shortage of electricity.

Measures to ease load shedding

Ramaphosa has been working with relevant ministers and senior officials to explore different additional measures to accelerate efforts to increase electricity supply.

“While the measures we have already taken will secure the supply of reliable and affordable electricity into the future, we have been looking at what additional measures we can take now to bring that goal closer.”

Once all consultations are finalised, they will announce a comprehensive set of actions to achieve faster progress in tackling load shedding.

He said there is no instant solution to the electricity crisis – they are committed to make load shedding a thing of the past by exploring every avenue to ensure they generate enough to supply the whole country.

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