South Africa has announced ambitious plans to bolster its grid capacity in a bid to address the persistent power shortages that have plagued the nation for the past 15 years and move towards achieving its decarbonization targets.
Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramakgopa revealed that the country intends to increase its transmission lines by an extensive 14,218 kilometers and aims to multiply transformers sixfold by 2033. These measures are essential to keep pace with the projected surge in demand from consumers and businesses. "This amounts to a 600% increase in transmission infrastructure over the next 10 years," Ramakgopa stated during a briefing in Pretoria on Sunday. Currently, the government is actively working on three projects that will add 2,300 megawatts of power capacity, which would help alleviate power cuts, commonly referred to as load-shedding.
Moreover, South Africa is fast-tracking an additional 22 projects, predominantly located in the Eastern, Western, and Northern Cape regions. These initiatives are expected to generate a substantial 24 gigawatts of electricity by 2033. Ramakgopa emphasized that the upgrades involve modifying the grid configuration to incorporate more renewable energy sources. This shift towards a renewable energy-dominated mix is crucial to achieving the country's nationally determined contribution and moving towards a net-zero emissions trajectory. This announcement follows the establishment of the National Transmission company, which has recently obtained its first license from the National Energy Regulator, allowing it to take on the role of system operator for the national grid.
The licensing process is a significant step towards unbundling the state-owned power utility, Eskom SOC Ltd. However, the National Transmission company still awaits regulatory approval for its trading, import, and export licenses. Saul Musker, director of strategy and delivery support in the Presidency, expressed concern over the pending licenses, stressing the company's need to secure all three licenses to fulfill its intended functions and operate effectively. The government remains hopeful that these hurdles will be resolved promptly, as the operationalization of the transmission company is critical to South Africa's energy stability and future sustainability.
Source: mybroadband.co.za