Nersa invites public comments on power procurement plans

Energy regulator Nersa invited public comments on Wednesday on government plans to increase power generation capacity, clearing the first of many hurdles for the country to boost electricity supplies.

Nersa asked for comments by April 14 on a short-term plan to procure 2 000 megawatts of power, and comments by May 7 on longer-term procurement plans outlined in the country’s 2019 Integrated Resource Plan.

South Africa’s Electricity Regulation Act requires public participation before officials can procure more power.

Africa’s most industrialised economy has experienced several rounds of debilitating power cuts over the past year due to capacity constraints, but officials have been slow to secure new power supplies.

The outages helped pushed the economy into recession in the final quarter of last year.