RATE IT | What's being done to prevent stage 8 load-shedding, according to Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa says government is doing what it can to ensure the country is not plunged into stage 8 load-shedding. 

On Sunday Eskom announced load-shedding will vary between stages 3 and 4 until Wednesday morning, with stages 2 and 3 anticipated until the weekend.

He was responding to a written parliamentary question from the DA, asking what contingency plan the state has for stage 8 load-shedding and what action is being taken to get the country's electricity generation system back on track.

Ramaphosa said regulations to navigate load-shedding only make provision for stage 8.

Other measures include accelerating the procurement of new generation capacity, increasing private investment in electricity generation, enabling businesses and households to invest in rooftop solar and transforming the electricity sector to position it for future sustainability, the president added. 

Significant progress has been made in several areas, including:

Electricity Regulation Act

The mineral resources and energy department has published an amendment to schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act for public comment, in line with Ramaphosa's announcement about the removal of the licensing threshold for embedded generation projects.

The schedule was amended to raise the threshold to 100MW, a reform that has unlocked significant private investment. The new amendment will remove the licensing requirement for generation projects of any size and allow investment in larger, utility-scale projects to rapidly add new generation capacity to the grid.

Regulatory processes for energy projects

Various actions have been implemented to streamline regulatory processes for energy projects, with more activities under review.

The forestry, fisheries and environment department has waived the need to obtain environmental authorisation for transmission infrastructure in areas of low and medium environmental sensitivity and strategic transmission corridors.

Average time frames have been reduced for various regulatory processes, including grid connection, National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) registration, water use licensing, environmental impact assessment and land use authorisation.

Addressing challenges at power station level

Eskom is dealing with challenges at power stations, including deploying former power station managers and skilled experts to improve performance and reduce partial load losses. 

“A new ministerial determination has been sent to Nersa for concurrence for more than 18,000MW of new generation capacity from wind, solar and battery storage,” said Ramaphosa.

“A revised RFP has been published for Bid Window 6 to increase the amount of generation capacity procured from 2,600MW to 5,200MW. An additional 200MW has been procured through the Southern African Power Pool as of September 2022, with work under way to increase imports from the region.”

Ramaphosa said a standard offer approach has been developed for Eskom to procure up to 1,000MW of additional capacity from existing generators, contingent on market response.

Mechanism to procure surplus energy

According to Ramaphosa, work is under way within Eskom to develop a mechanism to procure surplus energy from customers to increase uptake of rooftop solar installations. 

The Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill, which provides for the establishment of an independent transmission company and the emergence of a competitive electricity market, is being finalised for tabling in parliament. 

The Integrated Resource Plan 2019 is being reviewed, with a completion target of March 2023, to update assumptions regarding energy availability and technological changes.

“These and other measures will make a significant difference in reducing the risk of load-shedding and achieving long-term energy security,” the president said.