The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe says government is currently working on increasing renewable projects but, adds that it will not scale down on coal-powered stations. He was speaking in Centurion, Pretoria at a ceremony to sign agreements with three wind power suppliers.
The signing of the agreements comes as the public continues to experience Stage 5 rolling blackouts that Eskom has implemented. Mantashe has urged everyone to work together to ensure that the country has security of power supply.
“If you are reckless in moving out of coal, you will cause more disaster. In the coal belt in Mpumalanga, there is continuous coal mining, continuous, no break – and a number of power stations will be decommissioned over time. We have contributed 40% from the government and 40 from the Brazilian government in buying the rail pipeline because we think that Eskom should be able to repurpose some of the power stations.”
It is with great pleasure that I congratulate the 3 EDF projects procured under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) Bid Window 5 on the signing of their project agreements. #InvestInSAEnergy. pic.twitter.com/J8TLbyV8qe
— Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (@DMRE_ZA) September 22, 2022
The agreements are part of government’s effort to curb the worsening energy crisis in the country. The wind power projects fall under the renewable energy Independent Power Producers (IPP) procurement programme launched in April 2021. Information on the other 22 successful bidders will be announced on a later date.
