Executive Mayor Dan Plato says it’s unacceptable that loadshedding continues during the Covid-19 pandemic without clarity on when IPPs will be included in the energy mix to break the sole reliance on Eskom. The power utility announced stage 2 Eskom loadshedding from 21:00 – 05:00, which means the City-supplied customers will experience stage 2 loadshedding between 22:00 until 05:00.
‘It is unfortunate that residents across the country continue to be impacted by recurring loadshedding implemented by Eskom. We are grateful to at least be able to provide our customers with an hour of loadshedding relief this evening, which could have been more if Eskom had given more notice.
‘Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, residents are not spared from the national governmen’s lack of urgency to resolve the power crisis in the country. National government is yet to finalise the plans that will enable us to buy from independent power producers. Our future must see an end to Eskom monopoly power. We must enable competition to reduce costs and ensure a more stable power supply that residents and the economy desperately needs,’ said Executive Mayor Dan Plato.
The City of Cape Town is leading the charge to diversify energy supply and promote competitive pricing for consumers, while providing some protection against loadshedding for City-supplied customers.
While households across South Africa feel the pinch of Eskom’s steep 17,8% increase for 2021/22, all municipalities, including Cape Town are still forced to buy all electricity solely from Eskom.
The City of Cape Town is able to provide one level of protection against loadshedding for City-supplied customers where possible from the Steenbras Hydro Pump Station. Other measures to reduce the impact of power cuts are:
- Getting the Atlantis Power Station up and running by 2023, with plans for a renewable energy hub at the Athlone Power Station.
- Planning to procure at least 300 MW of energy from independent producers, including ongoing consultation with national government to speed this up.
- Pursuing a range of renewable energy projects from 1 MW to 100 MW, to be owned and operated on municipal land, with a call for proposals issued on low-cost finance solutions over a period of 20 years.
Source: City Of Cape Town