Government has issued a request for proposals to procure 2000 megawatts of emergency power.
The move is aimed at relieving a severe energy shortage as embattled Eskom struggles to keep the lights on due to among others its ageing and poorly maintained infrastructure.
Last week, Eskom implemented stage 2 load shedding due to unplanned breakdowns.
However, on Friday it suspended power outages but warned that the power grid remained vulnerable.
In December, government issued a request for information (RFI) to source up to 3000 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity.
Power supply contracts
In a statement, the Department of Energy says it expects all power supply contracts to be operational by July 2022 and that it expects to attract around R40 Billion in investment.
In February, Turkey’s Karpowership, one of the world’s largest suppliers of floating power plants, said it had submitted plans to provide “several” ships capable of alleviating the country’s power shortages.
The department says bidders would need to conform to South Africa’s policies designed to broaden economic participation for the black majority and to make commitments to job creation and skills development.
In the video below, Eskom said last month, the renewable energy on the electricity grid is helping Eskom to keep the lights on.
