Stabilising the grid

• Published date: 05 May 2022
• Publication title: South African Official News

Power utility Eskom will need additional energy of between 4 000 and 6 000 megawatts in order to effectively carry out maintenance of its ailing power plans without having to resort to load shedding, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Wednesday.

Gordhan was responding to oral questions posed to Ministers in the Economic Cluster at a plenary of the National Assembly on Wednesday.

'Clearly it is our priority as government and certainly within my portfolio and more importantly of the board and of the management, to ensure that we prioritise stability within the energy system.

'But the reality, as has been repeated on many occasions, is that Eskom requires a space of about 4000 to 6000 megawatts of additional energy so that the necessary maintenance can be undertaken.

'It is also a well-established fact chairperson, and this is also in the report of the Zondo Commission, that there has been neglect on the maintenance side for many years, particularly during the state capture period, in order to ensure that 'the lights stay on'. That is the legacy that we have to now overcome,' he said.

As Eskom announced that Stage 2 load shedding would continue until Monday, Gordhan said there will be stability in the power grid in the next year or so.

'So there will be some stability in the next year or more but what we require is this 4000 to 6000 megawatts of energy which needs to be brought online. And that is our priority.'

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