Electricity Minister To Lead Outreach Program With Northern Cape Business Stakeholders

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa will be leading an outreach program with business stakeholders in the Northern Cape on April 18 and April 19 to work on the Energy Action Plan, which aims to end load shedding and create energy security.

The minister will also be joined by Premier Zamani Saul during the program that intends to stop power outages and ensure South Africa has enough energy for everyone.

"The program focuses on localized solutions to energy supply to protect local economies and save jobs and livelihoods," the ministry said, SA News reported. The Minister will "be part of marking the reaching of commercial operation of one of the largest hybrid solar and energy battery storage facilities, Scatec ASA."

Furthermore, Scatec has officially started producing and supplying electricity to the national grid from its three Kenhardt plants in the Northern Cape.

This big project has 540 megawatts of solar power and can store 225 megawatts or 1140 megawatt-hours of energy with its batteries. It can send out 150 megawatts of power whenever needed to the grid.

"This milestone is in fulfillment of the EAP's pillars of enabling private investment in generation and fast-tracking the procurement of new generation from renewable energy sources, as part of South Africa's energy mix," the ministry said.

The meeting is being held two weeks after electricity prices increased after Eskom implemented its new tariff, ranging between 12.72% and 12.74%, which was approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa in December of last year.

Ramokgopa, earlier this year, appreciated Eskom's efforts to reduce load shedding and noted that the power utility is on the right path.

He noted that the power utility received 3,510 megawatts of capacity in the last year which helped the power stations to operate smoothly while acknowledging additional work remains at Tutuka, Kendal, Matla and other power stations.

In the wake of solving the energy crisis in the country, the power utility announced in January that South Africa's town of Clarens in the Free State has become the country's first town to manage its electricity demand during load curtailment.