ELECTRICITY GRID
Potential IPP energy boost must battle red tape
A significant political pushback against renewable energy provided by independent power producers has made the government reluctant to finalise the IRP prior to the elections
At least one gigawatt of energy capacity, equal to the amount of energy dropped by each stage of load-shedding, could be added to the national grid over the next 12 months if bureaucratic processes at the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) and the department of energy are sped up. The constraint on the electricity grid — the most severe SA has experienced — is expected to continue for several years as Eskom battles to restore its capacity, which continues to drop due to years of neglected maintenance. While public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan has promised to return in two weeks to give an estimate of how long Eskom’s supply constraints will last, experts expect supply to be constrained for the next two to four years. "We know that within 12 months we could add 1GW to the grid," according to SA Photovoltaic Association board member Jo Dean. PODCAST: Listen to expert commentary on the issue. Subscribe: iono.fm | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Player.fm However, ...
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