Mantashe denies govt dragging its feet with addition capacity for grid
Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe has announced a wave of additional generation projects in an attempt to resolve the country’s energy crisis.
Mantashe tabled the department’s budget vote in Parliament on Thursday.
The department’s budget for 2022/23 financial year is R10.4 billion, with R5.7 billion earmarked for Eskom and municipalities.
Mantashe dismissed Eskom CEO André de Ruyter’s claims that the department is delaying the approval of additional capacity for the national grid.
De Ruyter recently said South Africa’s load shedding problem can only be solved by additional generation capacity – which he claims the department is delaying.
But at the same time Mantashe warned it could take up to 24 months before the capacity is added to the grid.
“On electricity generation, aimed at the supply and demand deficit, 1 850MW from projects signed under bid window 4 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme were connected to the grid. 2 600MW of renewable energy with the signing of Project Agreements planned for end of July 2022 and end of September 2022, was procured. These projects are expected to deliver power into the grid within 24 months from date of signing of project agreements.”
He says a request for proposals for the procurement of 2 600MW of renewable energy was also issued.
“We are finalising, with the buyer Eskom, the agreements with preferred projects procured as part of the 2 000MW under the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.
“We are finalising additional Request for Proposals for issue in the current financial year, for the procurement of, 513MW of Storage, 3 000MW of gas,2 600MW of renewable energy under Bid Window 7 and 1500MW of coal.
“These initiatives will bring online over thirteen thousand 13 000 MW.”
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