Eskom welcomes NERSA concurrence with Ministerial Determination for procurement of additional power infrastructure

14 September 2020

Eskom is pleased to note that the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has concurred with the ministerial determination for the procurement of 11 813MW of electricity generation infrastructure as issued by the minister of Mineral Resources and Energy in February 2020. This is part of the power infrastructure to be procured under the Integrated Resources Plan of 2019 (IRP2019) over the years to 2030.

“Given the current supply constraints, this additional generation capacity is urgently required, and will be an important contribution towards ending loadshedding and ensuring energy security for the country,” says Eskom CEO André de Ruyter.

Eskom is looking forward to collaborating with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) and the IPP Office to enable an accelerated execution to bring additional capacity onto the grid in the shortest space of time possible.

Eskom is also pleased to note the progress with the procurement of the 2 000MW emergency power, which it hopes will start being connected to the national grid by December 2021.  

While the 2 000MW emergency procurement is a step in the right direction, Eskom would like to stress the immediate need to urgently accelerate the procurement of at least 3 000MW of further generation capacity to help ease the supply constraints the country is currently going through.

As Eskom has often stated, enabling the emergency procurement of 5 000MW additional generation capacity is critical to keep the lights on and help power the rebuilding of an economy decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Bringing in additional generation capacity will also help take the pressure off Eskom and create space for the maintenance of its ageing power stations while powering a growing economy.

Issued by Media Desk, 14 September 2020