President Ramaphosa set to make announcement on Eskom’s blackouts soon
President Cyril Ramaphosa has told the African National Congress (ANC) delegates who attended the 9th ANC KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Conference in Durban at the weekend that they have been making sure that generation capacity is given much-needed attention.
Ramaphosa says the ANC-led government is working around the clock to address the problem of load shedding in South Africa. He says he understands the frustration that the continued blackouts have caused within the business sector.
He says an announcement will be made soon on some of the government interventions to address load shedding.
“We have been finalising and we will soon be announcing a package of additional measures, to reduce the severe load shedding that we have been experiencing in the medium term. To end load shedding in the medium term, and to ensure that we have energy security.”
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Experienced engineers
Earlier on Sunday, the Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde, said the power utility urgently needs senior artisans and experienced engineers, adding the province has the technical skills needed to help to address the shortage at Eskom.
Winde said the province has numerous accredited programmes focusing on artisanal skills. He urged young emerging engineers in the province to set their sights on Eskom to contribute to finding solutions to the country’s energy crisis.
“It is no secret that one of the many challenges facing Eskom is the lack of skilled employees such as engineers. I urge young budding engineers in the province to set their sights on Eskom to do their bit to tackle the country’s energy crisis and the growing need for more power generation going into the future. This presents the province’s youth, those who intend to pursue careers in the fields related to energy production with opportunities to work at Eskom and to help it in the future.”
Solar power projects
Meanwhile, the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Barbara Creecy, says the government has announced its intention to shorten the timeframes for the solar power projects. This will be done by making changes to the environmental assessment process.
During a stakeholder briefing, Minister Creecy revealed the aim to gazette two documents for public comment in August to simplify the rollout.
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Source: SABC News (sabcnews.com)
