South Africa has put in place measures to enable the private sector to supply nearly 12,000 megawatts of electricity to the national power grid, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday.
According to the president, the gazetting of 11,800 MW of independent electricity production would soon boost the national grid to ease the country’s power deficit problem.
Ramaphosa said the move was one of his country’s key economic reforms needed to unlock growth and attract investment by getting rid of the current load shedding of electricity which was negatively affecting the economy.
He noted that having more power generation would also make South Africa more desirable for international investors and increase employment opportunities for South Africans, 30 percent of whom are unemployed.
The president added that the additional electricity would be sourced from solar, wind, gas, thermal, and coal, among other sources.
The extra power generation would be beneficial as the country tries to recover from the economic lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Ramaphosa said.
“Reliable, secure and affordable energy supply is the lifeblood of any economy. To limit the effect of climate change, it is equally important that energy is sustainable and environmentally sound,” Ramaphosa said.
State-owned Eskom is the country’s largest power producer, responsible for supplying over 30,000 MW of electricity to its clients.
NM/jn/APA