Electricity minister asks China for help to fight load-shedding
Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has met with the Chinese ambassador to South Africa to discuss areas of collaboration to end load-shedding.
President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Ramokgopa as the new energy minister on 7 March 2023 to address problems at Eskom and end load-shedding.
He recently said the government should follow the plan detailed in the integrated resource plan published in 2019 to address the country’s energy problems.
Romokgopa said that those responsible for electricity governance are committed to the plan.
“I have already had that conversation with my peers, and there is an appreciation that there must be a singular laser focus on the resolution of this problem,” he said.
He will focus now work with the Eskom board and management to implement the Energy Action Plan, which includes:
- Fix Eskom and improve the availability of existing supply.
- Enable and accelerate private investment in generation capacity.
- Accelerate procurement of new capacity from renewables, gas and battery storage.
- Unleash businesses and households to invest in rooftop solar.
- Fundamentally transform the electricity sector to achieve long-term energy security.
The short-term objective is to reduce the severity and frequency of load-shedding through measures to improve the performance of Eskom’s power stations and stabilise the energy system.
The long-term objective is to end load-shedding altogether and achieve energy security by adding as much new generation capacity to the grid as possible.
Ramokgopa recently met with the Chinese Ambassador to South Africa to discuss areas of collaboration to end the rolling blackouts.
He highlighted five potential areas where the countries could collaborate.
- Sourcing technical expertise.
- Demand-side management intervention as it relates to supply.
- Training young people to meet demands for Solar PV installations.
- Introducing micro-grids.
- Emergency power.
This engagement followed a previous meeting with Business Unity South Africa, which focussed on areas of collaboration between the government and businesses to resolve the energy crisis.