- The minister said the 134 bids awarded during the selection phase would give South Africa 11,904 megawatts (MW) of electricity.
- The expansion programme of about 14,000km would require more than R210 billion (approximately $11.1 billion), which the Eskom account cannot fund.
The Minister of Electricity, South Africa, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has revealed plans to expand the grid to accommodate renewable projects. He said the ministry is ramping up renewable energy projects in the country to add more megawatts to the grid.
Ramokgopa, while briefing the media during the weekend, said the ministry is ensuring to connect more projects to the grid. “We are doing everything possible to make sure that we ramp up renewable energy share of the mix as part of the Integrated Resource Plan. The transmission will be the important part of our work,” he said.
In the last few months, the Ministry of Electricity issued bids for renewable projects, some already in design and others in construction phases. The minister said the 134 bids awarded during the selection phase would give the country 11,904MW of electricity.
“Although 11,904MW of electricity cap has been procured, it does not follow that all of it is now operational. Of the 134 IPPs selected as preferred bidders, 90 are operational, giving us 6,000MW of the 11,904MW. Some of them are in the stages of development and construction,” he added.
Ramokgopa had previously said the government would have to expand transmission lines by 14,000km in the next decade to accommodate renewable energy projects. However, this massive programme would require more than R210 billion, and the Eskom balance sheet would not be able to meet this demand.
On the factors limiting renewable projects on stream, the minister said, “One of the limiting factors is a structural problem for now is the issues around the transmission line. We have shared with you the work we are doing to ensure that we can strengthen and expand transmission capacity in the country. We are proceeding to ensure we procure additional renewable energy solutions as part of the independent power producer programme.”