The Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy refutes as misleading and premature the statement issued by the Democratic Alliance regarding procurement of electricity through Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
The Ministry emphasised in a press statement that Integrated Resource Plan 2019 is a rational, robust and carefully considered plan by the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy to ensure security of electricity supply for the country.
“The promulgated IRP provides for – among other things – any individual or group to undertake embedded generation projects up to a maximum of 500MW per annum. This is part of South Africa’s long-term plan to pursue a diversified energy mix, which covers all possible generation options. It remains the Minister’s prerogative, as provided for in Section 34 of the Electricity Regulation Act, to ensure security of electricity supply through determining – among other things- the size, technology type, which entity produces the electricity, and by when it should be connected to the grid’ said the Ministry .
The Ministry has engaged with the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) to provide an opportunity for the Minister to make a presentation on the IRP. This is done to enable provinces to engage with the Minister and highlight issues that pertain to their individual situation. The Ministry is pleased that the NCOP has swiftly indicated its willingness to enable this engagement before the end of November 2019. The NCOP has further assured the Ministry of the participation of all provinces. To this end, all provinces – including the Western Cape Legislature – are encouraged to participate in the process and raise issues for the Minister to consider in line with the Ministerial Determinations under section 34 of the Electricity Regulation Act.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
