By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Minister in the presidency responsible for electricity says critics of the government’s new Integrated Resource Plan need to make official submissions through the public comment process so their voices can be heard.
Ramokgopa made the remarks in response to the views put forward by energy experts this past week, who criticised the draft IRP 2023.
The draft energy blueprint envisions more than 100,000MW of new generation capacity being built by 2050, and proposes that a variety of technologies and fuels be considered to produce it, including solar, wind, nuclear and coal.
It maps out multiple scenarios, such as a “least cost” plan to produce 105,000MW of power and another that sees 166,00MW being generated from wind, solar, gas and battery storage.
The plan also leans heavily toward delaying the shutting down of coal power stations in South Africa, with the department arguing that, by delaying the process, energy can be secured for much longer.
The final draft was quietly published by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy for public comment on Thursday last week.
Ramokgopa said that commenting on the policy through the media was “insufficient” and “unhelpful”, noting that this does not qualify as a bona fide submission on the plan.
He said that comments should not be restricted to engagement with the media and that critics should engage with the official channels and make formal submissions on the plans.
The minister also clarified that the IRP is not an “intervention” to end load shedding but rather serves as a comprehensive plan to secure South Africa’s energy future.
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni confirmed the approval of the draft Integrated Resource Plan 2023 in December.
Ntshavheni said it will serve as a guide for government procurement of new generation capacity with improved changes from the IRP 2019.
“The draft IRP 2023 reviews the approved IRP 2019 and covers two-time horizons, namely the 2030- and 2050-time horizons.
Ramakgopa said the Energy Action Plan is an intervention that has been specifically crafted to address a problem (ie, load shedding) at a given time – and this plan is bearing fruit.
Eskom meanwhile said Stage 2 load shedding will kick in from 16h00 on Tuesday and will continue overnight. Stage 1 load shedding will be implemented from 05h00 until 16h00 on Wednesday.
The pattern of stage 2 load shedding in the evening and stage 1 during the day will continue until further notice, the group said.
Unplanned breakdowns have increased in the new year and are currently at 14,953MW of generating capacity, while the capacity out of service for planned maintenance is 7,638MW.
The utility said that its teams are working to return 2,700MW of power to the grid before the end of the weak.
Demand is also returning to normal patterns, with Eskom anticipating evening peak demand of 25,000MW.
Ramokgopa said that the load shedding outlook for 2024 remains murky, with no guarantees that outages will stop.
He said that even though Eskom has been making small gains and measurable progress in maintaining its fleet, the majority of generating units remain unpredictable and unreliable.
Projections for the year show that load shedding is likely to remain a prominent feature in 2024 – but with the silver lining that the outcome for the year should be significantly better than the levels of outages seen in 2023.
For access to other load shedding schedules, Eskom has made them available on loadshedding.eskom.co.za.
Smartphone users can also download the app EskomSePush to receive push notifications when load shedding is implemented, as well as the times the area you are in will be off.