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As South Africa experiences yet another period of loadshedding, the option of generating electricity for personal use and/or selling it on is starting to look all the more attractive. With loadshedding said to continue into the foreseeable future, the need for alternatives is gaining urgency.
According to Eskom chief executive, Andre de Ruyter, "we will face generation constraints going forward. We have therefore welcomed the latest announcement from the Department of Energy to procure more energy capacity."
In early April, the South African Department of Mineral Resources and Energy announced that it was opening bids for window six of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). It is anticipated that 2,600MW of renewable energy will be procured from Independent Power Producers (IPPs). Of this, 1.6 GW will be produced by wind – in line with the gazetted IRP2019.
De Ruyter has said that by next year "we should start seeing additional capacity brought to the grid and we really look forward to that which will alleviate some of the pressure we are currently seeing and give us more headroom to perform maintenance on Eskom fleets."
He has shared further that Eskom had started a bid process for renewable energy projects on Eskom-owned land which would also be added to the grid in the next 18-24 months. Says Claire Volkwyn, Head of Content, Enlit Africa, "These moves are well in line with global trends toward the procurement of more renewable energy generation as part of the energy transition to a cleaner, greener, more sustainable energy sector – and the focus of discussions at Enlit Africa."
Formerly known around the continent as African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa, Enlit Africa has been connecting the utility industry on the continent for more than two decades. Volkwyn continues, "June's edition will bring new features to the line-up, including the first fully hybrid Enlit Africa event – with the Opening Keynote address taking place over two days and sessions streamed to attendees around the world via our digital platforms."
Enlit Africa's programme highlights will focus on the changing energy sector, the energy transition and the technology brining light to millions across the continent. Presentations and panel discussions will cover some of the following:
Keynote addresses focussing on the collaborative efforts being undertaken to forward the energy transition across the continent.
Stephen Campbell, commercial project lead for the event said, "We are pleased to be welcoming back industry leaders and associations including Eskom, the Department of Mineral Resources & Energy, City of Cape Town, WESGRO, SAESA and more. We are also proud to announce that ESI Africa will be covering the event as our official partner publication."
