President Cyril Ramaphosa said current regulations on navigating the country only provide for Phase 8 offloading but the government is working on it. Do what you can to never reach that point.

In response to a congressional written question and answer last week, the president said that Eskom’s system operator determines the required phase of offloading at any given time in consultation with the the company’s power generation segment.

“Phase 6 is the highest load reduction to date, and the reduction equates to about 5% of the load in a specific area per stage,” he said. “The industry document on how to do offloading… has now reached stage 8 of the offloading process. Load distribution is done in a controlled manner to ensure the stability of the system nationwide.

South African businesses, analysts, economists and the general public have watched with anxiety as Eskom’s aging fleet of electric trains crumble before their eyes, with 2022 marking the worst year of load declines. the worst on record, and the worst is yet to come.

The fleet is running on the edge of the knife, as evidenced by the loss of only a few generators at power plants leading to increasingly high levels of power outages. Some analysts have predicted that phase 8 offloading could be coming soon.

According to Eskom, level 8 offloading involves removing 8,000 MW from the grid. If capacity problems exceed this, the system operator will decide specifically, by province, how much power to add.

On Sunday 23 October, Eskom announced that the reductions will continue in phases 3 and 4 until at least Wednesday – with more offloading in phases 3 and 2 planned until the weekend.

Ramaphosa said plans and developments are underway to alleviate the power crisis. He stated: “Since the announcement of additional measures on July 25, 2022 to combat the load reduction, the National Energy Crisis Committee (NECOM) has been established to oversee the measures. to improve the efficiency of Eskom’s existing power plant fleet”.

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has announced amendments to Annex 2 of the Electricity Regulatory Act for public comment along with the President’s announcement of removing the authorization threshold for power plants. composite production project. The previous timetable was revised to raise the authorization threshold to 100 MW, a reform that has unlocked significant private investment. The new amendment will remove the licensing requirement for power generation projects of any size and allow investments in larger, larger projects to quickly add new generation capacity to the grid. electricity.

Various actions have been taken to streamline management processes for energy projects with multiple activities under consideration. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) has waived the requirement for an environmental permit for transportation infrastructure in low and medium sensitive areas and in transport corridors. strategy. Average times have been reduced for various management processes, including grid connection, NERSA registration, water permits, environmental impact assessments and land use permits.

Eskom is taking steps to address challenges at the power plant level, including deploying former power plant managers and qualified professionals to improve operational efficiency and reduce part losses load.

A new ministerial decision has been submitted to NERSA to approve more than 18,000 MW of new generation capacity from wind, solar and battery storage.

A revised RFP was issued for Procurement Mechanism 6 to increase the amount of generation capacity purchased from 2,600 MW to 5,200 MW.

In September 2022, an additional 200 MW was purchased through the South African Power Complex, and work is underway to increase imports from the region.

A standard offering approach has been developed to enable Eskom to obtain additional capacity of up to 1,000 MW from existing generators, subject to market response.

Work is underway in Eskom to develop a mechanism to capture excess energy from customers to increase adoption of rooftop solar installations.

The Electricity Regulations Amendment Bill, which provides for the establishment of an independent power transmission company and the emergence of a competitive electricity market, is being finalized for submission to Parliament.

The 2019 Integrated Resource Plan is being revised, with a goal of completion by March 2023, to update assumptions regarding energy availability and technological change.

“These measures that are now in place will make a significant difference in reducing the risk of offloading and achieving long-term energy security,” the President said.