China keeps power on: Donated generators to alleviate plight of 500 facilities

The Chinese government yesterday gave Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa the first consignment of energy equipment as part of the Technical Assistance Programme entered into by the two countries in August, during a state visit to SA by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

It consisted of 450 gasoline generator sets, shipped from Shanghai to Durban. At least 500 public facilities countrywide would benefit, with the generators used as backup during load shedding in clinics, schools and courts.

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While the first batch only accounted for 5.8% of the total pledge to SA, Chinese ambassador to South Africa Chen Xiaodong said China was “working to overcome the difficulties of early production and separate shipments”.

The next consignment, valued at R150 million, would include five power supply trucks, 39 sets of diesel generators and 60 sets of solar energy storage power supply system, he said.

Chen was “confident that under the strong leadership of the government and with help from friends like China, South Africa will have stronger power supply very soon and people’s lives will be improved”.

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“As South Africa’s good friend, partner and brother, China can relate to the difficulties faced by the country.

“We decided to provide support, including emergency energy equipment, technical experts, expertise and personnel training.

“We have also been working to advance our cooperation in the field of electricity and energy, to assist South Africa in responding to the crisis,” said Chen.

“We are confident that this package of equipment will make a good contribution to South Africa’s efforts to alleviate the power shortage.

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“We gave each other support and we together fought against apartheid. We also assisted each other in responding to Covid.

“Through all the common struggles, our two peoples forged a comrades-plus, brothers’ special bond,” said Chen.

“In recent years, power and energy cooperation has increasingly become “a driver and a highlight of our two sides’ practical cooperation”.

“Through direct investment or contracting, Chinese companies successfully participated in several major new energy projects in South Africa.

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“Longyuan Power, a Chinese company, has built the De Aar Wind Farm Project in the Northern Cape, which has so far provided clean electricity supply to about 300 000 households.

“In June, the Chinese embassy in South Africa organised the China-South Africa New Energy Investment and Cooperation Conference where the over 170 new energy companies on both sides reached a good number of economic and trade cooperation results,” Chen said.

“China is vigorously developing the new energy sector. “In terms of the technology, capital and human talent in new energy, we are at the forefront of the whole world,” he said.

In welcoming the donation, Build One South Africa has called on government to fix the energy crisis in the country, because it was “legally obliged and responsible for delivering uninterrupted electricity to crucial sectors”.