- Cape Town opens the first round of tenders for independent entities to provide up to 300MW from solar power.
- Gwede Mantashe warns against importation of products for the sector.
- The energy sector to create more jobs
The City of Cape Town is the first municipality to welcome independent energy providers.
On Wednesday, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis announced that the city had opened the first round of tenders for independent entities to provide up to 300MW from solar power.
Identifying suppliers capable of providing energy generation, storage, or both will reduce the reliance on Eskom during peak times. “Solar photovoltaic energy is clean, affordable, and scalable,” the mayor said at the Solar Power Africa conference in Cape Town. Poverty is discussed with lip service to solutions, “but poverty cannot be solved until we solve the energy crisis. SA had been experiencing intermittent load shedding for 15 years, and we accept it as normal, but it is not normal.”
He praised President Cyril Ramaphosa’s “refreshing views” on reducing red tape. However, saying Cape Town’s new procurement process would serve as a litmus test for whether legislation is only interpreted to give national governments veto power over such innovations.
The mayor’s remarks came after Minerals, and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe stated, “If we are moving to build a renewable sector — a long-term, sustainable one — we must allow the sector to speak for itself.”
“It must be managed scientifically — and if you cannot speak for yourself, others will speak for you.”
He warned against importing products for the sector, arguing that manufacturing should be done in South Africa because otherwise, “we are simply creating jobs elsewhere.”