- South Africa needs at least 50GW of generation capacity to achieve energy security.
- The country has experienced 1,677 hours of load-shedding by the third quarter of 2022.
South Africa will need to install at least 50GW of generation capacity to achieve energy security in the next 15 years. It will require an estimated R1.2 trillion investment before 2035 to mitigate the energy crisis.
Eskom Group Chief Operating Officer Jan Oberholzer made this statement at a recent Energy Indaba discussion about the path to reaching energy security in South Africa.
The country has experienced steadily increasing bouts of load-shedding, from 124 hours of load-shedding in 2018 to 1,677 hours by the third quarter of 2022, and the state utility’s ability to meet demand is declining.
With the current difficulties that face the state utility, including the R52bn municipal debt it is owed, theft and sabotage, corruption, breakdowns, explosions and fires, Oberholzer acknowledged that the utility has a long bumpy road ahead.
As Eskom’s power system is old, neglected and “running in the red”, the utility needs to find the most efficient way to stop its declining generation capacity quickly before the country goes into total darkness.