There’s progress in the implementation of energy action plan: Government

Government says progress is being made with the implementation of its Energy Action Plan aimed at resolving the country’s electricity supply crisis. 

In the National Energy Crisis Committee, NECOM’s six-month progress update, government says the power system remains constrained in the short term. However, measures outlined in the plan will reduce the frequency and severity of rolling blackouts as new capacity is brought online.

As the country continues to suffer from devastating rolling blackouts, government says measures to ease the crisis are taking shape.

It says the short-term objective of the Energy Action Plan is to reduce the severity and frequency of blackouts through immediate measures to improve the performance of Eskom’s existing power stations and stabilise the energy system.

The long-term objective is to end rolling blackouts altogether and achieve energy security by adding new generation capacity to the grid.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has instructed law enforcement agencies to ramp up efforts to protect electricity infrastructure.

Video – President Ramaphosa meets with various stakeholders to address SA’s dire energy crisis:

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Spokesperson for the President, Vincent Magwenya, says addressing the ongoing electricity crisis remains government’s single most important priority.

“South Africans are right to demand immediate action to address the devastating impact of load shedding on our lives and on the economy. The energy action plan provides a clear way out of this crisis. South Africa does not need any new plans, we are focusing on implementing this plan fully and effectively to achieve energy security for all South Africans.”

Energy expert, Ted Blom, says while these are steps in the right direction, more can still be done.

“The suggestions I’ve got is, the first one is tax incentive, there is no mention of tax incentives now. Expecting households to join and invest in grid infrastructure or roof top solar would be greatly enhanced if we offered tax incentives to those households, then those households could generate between 4 and 6 gw of additional power within 90 days. It could really be very quick because everybody will get their own supplier and there won’t be any bottle necks and that would certainly reduce day time load-shedding.”

Government says other solutions include a plan for Eskom to import power from neighbouring countries through the Southern African Power Pool.

It says Eskom will also use interim power solutions, such as mobile generators, to supplement current generation capacity.

Furthermore, Eskom has launched an Emergency Generation Programme to procure additional power when the grid is significantly constrained.

Govt says there’s progress in implementation of energy action plan:

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