By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Eskom has confirmed that it has delivered a curtailment framework, as well as its proposed Gated Generator Connection Process (GGCP) to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) for approval. However, it is not yet clear whether either will be approved ahead of the restart of public procurement for new independent power producer (IPP) capacity.
Minerals Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe reported this week that Bid Window Seven (BW7) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme would be launched “within two weeks”, along with an inaugural gas-to-power bidding round and a second battery storage bid window.
The renewables bidding round was initially expected to be launched by mid-year following the partial failure of the previous round, when no wind project advanced to preferred-bidder status after Eskom indicated that all grid connection capacity in the Eastern, Northern and Western Cape provinces had been absorbed.
The subsequent renewables round, together with the gas-to-power and second battery bid window, had since been delayed largely because of ongoing uncertainty over what grid capacity was still available and whether Eskom would implement curtailment to unlock capacity in the grid-constrained provinces.
In October, Eskom published its latest Generation Connection Capacity Assessment (GCCA), indicating there to be 19.9 GW of grid-connection capacity available nationally, but with zero capacity remaining in the three Cape provinces and the Hydra Central area, which borders the Cape provinces and the Free State.
In November, however, Eskom indicated that curtailment studies had been undertaken to provide “developers with an alternate option if they are still keen to connect in these constrained areas”. It also indicated that a curtailment addendum to the GCCA would be published that could unlock 4 GW of connection capacity in the Eastern and Western Cape provinces.
Eskom Transmission MD Segomoco Scheppers confirmed that the curtailment framework and GGCP were currently before Nersa but did not comment on when the regulator was expected to decide on the documents.
Meanwhile Eskom has nixed the idea of suspending load shedding this weekend and will instead escalate load shedding to stage 4 until Monday.
Stage 4 load shedding will be implemented at 20h00 on Saturday and will continue until 05h00 on Monday.
This is being done to replenish the dam levels at the pumped storage power stations in preparation for the week ahead, it said.
The escalation follows a series of rapid load shedding changes this week, when the utility first implemented outages at stage 6, moved to a rotation of stages 5 and 6, followed this with a three-stage schedule moving between stages 2, 3, 4 and 5, and then ending the week on stage 3 with the promise of a suspension on Sunday.
The group has been struggling to balance high levels of outages, diesel shortages and tapped-out emergency reserves amid growing user demand.
Given the haphazard changes to the load shedding schedules over the last few days, and the apparent instability of Eskom’s grid, South Africans should anticipate further changes