South Africa is looking to its neighbouring country Mozambique to help the country out of its crippling energy crisis as Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is expected to meet Mozambique’s mineral resources and energy minister Carlos Zacarias today.
Following the ministerial meeting last month where Ramokgopa’s visit outlined South Africa’s needs, Zacarias undertook to evaluate short-term solutions and determine Mozambique’s availability to work with South Africa.
According to the Mozambican mineral resources and energy ministry, Ramokgopa said at that time that South Africa had a deficit of 6 000MW of energy and was looking to explore all the options available from Mozambique.
Ramokgopa told the Mozambican cabinet ministers that “each megawatt that is available will make an important contribution to reducing the deficit that has affected our country and which has led to blackouts, seriously affecting our economy”.
The discussions were frank and fruitful. In the short term, Mozambique can provide 80MW to South Africa and a further 1000MW upon agreement of stipulated terms. https://t.co/lDWeBV5V13 pic.twitter.com/lfxMyjENae
South Africa is already in a purchase agreement that runs until 2029, the main buyer of electricity from the Cahora Bassa hydroelectric power plant in central Mozambique with 2 075 MW capacity – the largest in Southern Africa.
South Africa’s Cabinet last week welcomed the deliberations between Ramokgopa and Zacarias to secure additional power from Mozambique to support the national grid.
It said that in the immediate term, Mozambique could provide 80MW and a further 1 000MW in the medium term.
Ramokgoba said South Africa could secure a further 600MW in the next six months from Mozambique, while committing to collaborate on more strategic long-term projects such as the Mphanda Nkuwa hydroelectric project, and Cahora Bassa.
The Cabinet continued to urge South Africans to support the Winter Demand Management campaign launched by the electricity minister to save electricity in order to reduce strain on the national grid, and help lower load shedding stages this winter.
Ramokgopa is also expected to embark on a “study tour” to Vietnam later this week to get lessons that could help Eskom end load shedding.
Vietnam has successfully multiplied its installed electricity capacity 10-fold in two decades from 5 000MW in 2000 to 55 000 in 2020; with a further 69 000MW through gradually opening up the electricity market to competition.
Ramokgopa on Friday announced that he would be leading a team to learn how Vietnam had successfully implemented its feed-in tariff, a policy mechanism that encourages renewable energy investment by paying producers or users to transfer excess electricity to the grid.
kailene.pillay@inl.co.za
Current Affairs