Tshwane still figuring out how to use white elephant power stations

Tshwane will soon appoint a committee to determine how it could recommission its white elephant power stations, Pretoria West and Rooiwal.

Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink said the capital city needs a mix of renewable energy ideas for the two power stations.

He said the committee would facilitate the identification of the supplier.

When the metro recently invited independent power producers (IPPs) who wish to operate its mothballed power stations to raise their hands as it pushes towards rescuing itself from Eskom’s hefty invoices, 39 responded.

Brink said Tshwane had asked the IPPs to help it secure an energy self-sufficient Tshwane.

He said this was part of an ongoing effort to move Tshwane closer to energy independence and to stabilise electricity supply to all communities.

“I am pleased to report Tshwane has received positive feedback and responses on our request sent out to the IPPs who have an interest in alternative energy generation.”

He said the request was made in December and IPPs were supposed to respond by February 20.

“We received 39 submissions from credible players in the renewable energy space.

“The request is a critical information-sharing process and one of the key steps that will enable the metro to develop and issue a detailed and evidenced-based tender.

“The office of the city manager will now move to appoint a committee to go through the contents.”

He said the metro was making significant progress in an effort to reduce the burden of load-shedding.

The proposed 40-year lease of Rooiwal and Pretoria West power stations is expected to bring about 1 000 MW of alternative energy to the metro in three years.

For 30 days from September 18, 2023, Tshwane opened up public participation to residents to comment on the R200-million Rooiwal and R160-million Pretoria West projects.

Tshwane noted three objections to the proposed lease among the over 30 submissions made.

Brink said robust public engagements with stakeholders yielded overwhelmingly positive responses.

“This indicates that our residents understand that we need to take drastic action to end load-shedding for an energy-secure future.

The council approval is one of the six steps to get the two power stations running again.

He said given the scale of the transaction, city manager Johann Mettler would appoint an advisory team to ensure its maximum effectiveness.

“Every time a higher stage of load-shedding hits us, it destroys our infrastructure, leads to prolonged outages and frustration, and creates opportunities for cable theft.

“Pretoria West power station had the potential to be repurposed to enable a more renewable form of energy production that will support the revitalisation of the Pretoria West industrial hub.

The metro aims to operate the stations via a third party by means of a 40-year lease, with exploration for preferable alternative energy sources such as solar power or gas.”

In September, Brink said the stations were licensed to generate power and Tshwane would begin operating them in a few years’ time.

“Tshwane is paying the price today for the lack of investment in infrastructure in the first decade of the municipality’s existence, and this has resulted in poor economic growth and stunted development.

“The importance of being energy-secure has been a concern for Tshwane for close to a decade. Every day, rolling blackouts make us poorer, degrade our infrastructure and chip away at the funding model of local government, which has thus far depended on the electricity distribution business.”

He said load-shedding caused excessive wear and tear to infrastructure, depleted the maintenance budget and created proactive opportunities for criminals to attack and strip electricity installations.

“Tshwane does not currently have the technical or financial capacity to leverage the potential of these assets to enhance its energy security. We have deemed it necessary to create a mechanism to enable the private sector to present solutions through a request for proposals.”

Brink said the power stations have not been fully operational for more than eight years and making them functional would require major investment.

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