The appointment of Kgosientsho Ramokgopa as the new minister of electricity signals a shift towards seeking solutions beyond South Africa’s borders to address the ongoing power crisis.
Also read: Ramokgopa urges patience as he implements existing energy plan
In his efforts to resolve the issue, Ramokgopa intends to explore options beyond the country’s boundaries.
As reported by TimesLives, Ramokgopa stated that he plans to establish contact with a number of countries to gain insights into how they have addressed their electricity supply challenges.
During his first 100 days in office, the minister also intends to review the energy crisis action plan unveiled by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July 2022.
Ramokgopa aims to expedite the plan’s implementation and has stated that he does not intend to devise a new strategy but will examine the existing one in detail.
“It’s just for me to go back and say that these targets that we had set ourselves are too ambitious, unachievable or they are very conservative,” Ramokgopa said.
This week, the minister held a meeting with the Chinese ambassador to explore a potential collaboration aimed at ending the rolling blackouts.
The discussions included the possibility of obtaining technical expertise, implementing demand-side management interventions as they relate to supply, training young people to meet the demand for solar power installations, introducing micro-grids and providing emergency power solutions.
“It is not a bias to this or that country but it is also important to know that China has had this problem before,” Ramokgopa said.
He added, “We are speaking to the Germans, Americans, World Bank, the International Finance Corporation and of course we met with the Chinese ambassador, and it’s essentially to know, of all of these countries where is the area expertise, and where can we get the quickest assistance.”
The minister also intends to hold a meeting with the Vietnamese ambassador as Vietnam has previously dealt with power blackouts, in an effort to gain further insights into resolving South Africa’s current energy crisis.
“They did rooftop solar for businesses and houses and in a space of 12 months they got 9,000MW and they are sitting with more energy than they need. So you go to a country like Vietnam and ask them how they did it,” said Ramokgopa.
Ramokgopa said that Vietnam has a rooftop solar solution that could be of significant benefit to South Africa, given the current energy crisis. He also noted that China is a key exporter in this field.
According to Ramokgopa, South Africa requires an additional 6 000 to 10 000MW to bring an end to loadshedding.
During winter, the demand for electricity ranges between 35 000 and 37 000MW, while in summer it falls to approximately 30 000MW. He emphasised the importance of consolidating all resources towards addressing the energy deficit.
Also read:
Electricity minister denies link between loadshedding suspension and EFF’s protest
Picture: Kgosientsho Ramokgopa / Facebook