Government approval has been granted to Dr Kgosientsho “Sputla” Ramokgopa, South Africa’s Minister of Electricity, to import energy from Mozambique to tackle the nation's power shortages.
The matter of a power purchase agreement between the two countries was deliberated during a recent Cabinet meeting.
Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Minister in the Presidency, revealed that initially, Mozambique would provide 80 megawatts of power, with the potential to increase this to 1 000 MW in the medium term.
Additional electricity would enable Eskom to alleviate load shedding by at least one stage, providing much-needed relief to businesses and households.
Furthermore, the Cabinet stressed the importance of supporting the "Winter Demand Management" campaign, which was initiated by Ramokgopa.
The campaign aims to promote electricity conservation and ease the strain on the national grid.
Presently, South Africa is grappling with a significant electricity shortfall of 6 000 MW, which has necessitated the implementation of up to Stage 6 rotational load shedding in order to prevent grid failure. – SOURCE: Solar Quarter
