Electricity minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said some units at some of the biggest power stations Medupi and Kusile will return to service in October and in April 2024 respectively. Ramokgopa said progress to end loadshedding is on track with the Energy Action Plan. He briefed the media on the progress made on the one-year implementation of the Energy Action Plan on Sunday. He said one year on, responsibilities are well defined, and the structures for planning, oversight, and problem-solving structures are fully operational.

MEDUPI AND KUSILE TO RETURN TO POWER

Ramokgopa said some units at some of the biggest power stations Medupi and Kusile will return to service in October and in April 2024 respectively. Ramokgopa added that an interim solution has been found to expedite the return of Medupi Unit 4 from August 2024 to April 2024. "Kusile Units 1-3 are on track to return to service by November 2023 as planned, while Unit 5 will synchronise with the grid in October 2023 and Unit 6 in May 2024," he said. He said over the last 12 months, accountability has also been strengthened with consistent tracking of progress and rapid resolution of challenges. "This is ensuring momentum to implementation not seen before.

 Ten fully staffed work streams have been established with clear, time-bound delivery plans to ensure prioritisation and focus," Ramokhopa said. He added that strong partnerships have been established with the private sector to make available technical expertise and support the delivery of the plan. Since the implementation of regulatory changes by President Cyril Ramaphosa in June 2021 Ramokgopa said private sector generation projects have increased to over 100 projects representing more than 10,000 Megawatts (MW) of new capacity. Ramokgopa said National Energy Crisis Committee (NECOM) was established to coordinate the many government agencies involved in responding to a complex energy crisis.

ROOFTOP SOLAR INSTALLED INCREASED

The minister said the amount of rooftop solar installed by businesses and households across Mzansi has more than doubled in the year since the Energy Action Plan was announced by Ramaphosa. "New tax incentives and innovative financing mechanisms are helping to drive a boom in rooftop solar, bringing down loadshedding significantly," he said. South Africa currently has a shortfall of approximately 6 000 MW. Every 1,000 MW of new capacity that gets added to the national grid reduces loadshedding.