Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. Picture: GCIS South Africa has moved from an electricity crisis to stability, with the lights expected to remain on as the country prepares for future economic growth, Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said on Monday. Briefing the media in Pretoria, Ramokgopa said the government was now focused on answering a critical long-term question: whether the country could sustain an electricity supply if the economy grows by at least 3% a year while expanding access to power.
“We have now transitioned from a crisis to a catalyst. The lights are on, and the lights will remain on,” Ramokgopa said. “But the future question is whether we are capable of keeping the lights on as the economy grows and as we connect more South Africans to electricity.” South Africa still has about 1.59 million customers without access to electricity.
Ramokgopa said the government had introduced sweeping reforms to break Eskom’s monopoly and diversify electricity generation. “We were victims of a monopoly. When a monopoly is inefficient, it drags the whole country down with it,” he said.
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Key reforms include amendments to the Electricity Regulation Act, the introduction of third-party electricity providers, new generation regulations and the unbundling of Eskom, including the establishment of an independent Transmission System Operator (TSO). “This ensures Eskom is no longer a player and a referee at the same time,” Ramokgopa said. Coal is expected to remain central to baseload generation, but renewables such as wind and solar are expected to play a growing role.
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