- South Africa is negotiating a 5-year power purchase agreements programme to ease one of the country’s worst blackout crises to date.
- Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe told the Johannesburg-based Sunday Times that the government is prepared for legal fights with environmental groups over its decision.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is under pressure to ease the load-shedding emergency. The country is currently in the midst of its worst-ever energy crisis, triggering blackouts for 10 hours a day or longer. South Africa is negotiating a 5-year power purchase agreements programme to ease one of the country’s worst blackout crises to date, Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa announced on Wednesday.
Of the 2,000 MW needed to alleviate blackouts, at least 1,200 MW will come from natural gas provided by Turkish company Karpowership under an existing agreement. For the remaining power, the country will rely on heavy fuel oil from the company’s other plants, an anonymous source told Bloomberg. The country’s plan to burn heavy fuel oil, a much dirtier fuel than gas, is expected to trigger a backlash from energy transitioners and climate activists. Last week, Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe told the Johannesburg-based Sunday Times that the government is prepared for legal fights with environmental groups over its decision.
Even though Eskom, South Africa’s government-owned national power utility and primary power generator, announced last year a plan to phase out almost half of its coal-dependent power by shutting down nine power stations by 2035, the government is reportedly considering extending the operational lives of two of its largest coal-fuelled power plants to boost its precarious energy security. Kendal and Oethabo, currently set to be decommissioned after 2035, account for about one-fifth of Eskom’s current capacity.