Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has proposed short-to-medium-term solutions to the Cabinet to address the energy crisis and get the country out of load shedding.
President Cyril Ramaphosa convened an urgent meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday where Ramokgopa’s plan was discussed.
Acting government spokesperson Michael Currin said the Cabinet discussed both the short- and medium-term plans to address the energy crisis.
“The meeting discussed short- and medium-term measures to ensure energy security, taking into account our immediate energy needs. The Cabinet noted the presentation by Minister Ramokgopa and directed that a further assessment of the electricity situation and measures to be taken be addressed at the next Necom (National Energy Crisis Committee) meeting that will be convened as speedily as possible,” said Currin.
The government has over the past few months been battling with plans to deal with the energy crisis.
Ramaphosa also said in a written parliamentary reply to a question from DA leader John Steenhuisen that the government was committed to the unbundling of Eskom.
The president had announced a few years ago that Eskom would be separated into three entities for generation, distribution and transmission.
“In line with the roadmap, the corporatisation of the transmission function was completed in December 2021. A legally binding merger agreement was entered into between Eskom and its wholly-owned subsidiary, the National Transmission Company South Africa SOC Limited (NTCSA). Reasons for the delays in unbundling transmission relate to external dependencies such as obtaining lenders’ consent, acquiring electricity licences and designation of the transmission entity as a buyer,” said Ramaphosa.
He said what would follow now was the operationalisation of the NTSCA and granting it the required electricity licences to do its business.
“The addition of new transmission capacity through expansion of the grid is being accelerated through the implementation of the Transmission Development Plan, supported by the work of the National Energy Crisis Committee,” said Ramaphosa.
The president has been under pressure to deal with the energy crisis which has a significant impact on businesses, households and other sectors.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
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