End of loadshedding within reach

President Cyril Ramaphosa says government is confident that the worst is behind South Africa and the end of load shedding is finally within reach.

Delivering the State of the Nation Address, the President said government has set out a clear plan to end load shedding, which it has been implementing with a single-minded focus through the National Energy Crisis Committee.

“We have delivered on our commitments to bring substantial new power through private investment on to the grid, which is already helping to reduce load shedding,” he said.

Last year, government implemented a major debt relief package which will enable Eskom to make investments in maintenance and transmission infrastructure and ensure its sustainability going forward.

The President said since reviving the renewable energy programme five years ago, government has connected more than 2 500 MW of solar and wind power to the grid with three times this amount already in procurement or construction.

Through tax incentives and financial support, he said government has more than doubled the amount of rooftop solar capacity installed across the country in just the past year.

“We have implemented sweeping regulatory reforms to enable private investment in electricity generation, with more than 120 new private energy projects now in development. These are phenomenal developments that are driving the restructuring of our electricity sector in line with what many other economies have done to increase competitiveness and bring down prices,” he said.

To ensure that we never face a similar crisis ever again, the President said government is reforming the energy system to make it more competitive, sustainable and reliable into the future.

He committed government to build more than 14 000km of new transmission lines to accommodate renewable energy over the coming years.

To fast-track this process, he said government will enable private investment in transmission infrastructure through a variety of innovative investment models.

“Last year, we tabled the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill to support the restructuring of Eskom and establish a competitive electricity market. As we undertake these reforms, we are positioning our economy for future growth in a world shaped by climate change and a revolution in green technologies,” the President said.