The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has commended Eskom on its recent performance, which has resulted in the suspension of load shedding for nearly two months.
The Department, together with Eskom and other role players in the energy and water sectors, came together to reassess priorities and develop plans to ensure energy and water security for the future at the Enlit Africa Conference in Cape Town.
Director General at the Department, Jacob Mbele says, “On behalf of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, I want to take this opportunity to commend the Eskom team and leadership for the great work they are doing in this area. I’m not going to ask what you are doing, but I’m going to say keep on doing what you’re doing because it seems to be working and solving the problem. Progress is also being made in other areas of the Energy Action Plan such as fast-tracking the procurement of new generation capacity.”
Meanwhile, Eskom says it will increase generation capacity in the coming months as it expects various power stations, including Medupi and Koeberg, to ramp up generation by the end of December.
The power utility says it’s also looking to build on the progress made in addressing load shedding.
Top management says the power utility is working hard to rebuild confidence, adding that the Generation Operational Recovery Plan, which commenced in March last year, is the reason for the improvement in the reliability of the generation fleet.
Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill
Meanwhile, Electricity Minister, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, says he expects President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill into law before the elections.
Last week, Parliament passed the proposed law that will officially end Eskom’s 100-year monopoly.
Ramokgopa says the Bill will formalise measures to open the market up for competitive trading. He was speaking while giving an update on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan.
More details in the report below:
