In a move that will hopefully reduce the heavy impact of load shedding, Eskom recently announced that it will make additional land available for renewable energy.
The power giant plans to make 300 square kilometres of additional land available across the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and Free State, paving the way for independent power producers. This decision could play a major role in efforts to end loadshedding.
Land owned by Eskom in Mpumalanga will be granted access to 18 renewable energy companies, subject to environmental approval. This land is expected to provide 1.8GW of additional generation capacity as projects come online over the next 12 to 18 months.
Eskom Aims to Make Land Available for Renewable Energy Providers
Eskom CEO André de Ruyter announced the move to open up land for renewable energy providers in a media briefing on 11 July 2022.
The new land parcels will be released on a quarterly basis to allow IPPs to prepare their bids, De Ruyter said, adding that this will accelerate the addition of more generation capacity to the grid. Combined with additional plans to licence new energy capacity through the windows 5 and 6 bid, this move will help towards the goal of ending loadshedding
De Ryter also stated that Eskom has been “working hard to streamline grid access protocols”, in an effort to make it easier for IPPs to connect to the grid. This has reduced the time needed for Eskom to provide grid access from 210 days to 105 days and is working to reduce this period further.
“We really are doing everything we can to resolve this electricity crisis as soon as possible. However, achieving this is also dependent on the government and regulators. We are seeing a renewed sense of urgency to remove the obstacles to resolving this crisis.”
At Energy Management Solutions, our goal is to help businesses navigate the impact that load shedding has on operations and costs. We look forward to updates on Eskom’s slow move to renewable power.
For businesses seeking to save power during our current crisis, our tailored solutions will take the pressure off and help you reduce your electricity costs. Contact us today to find out more about our services, which include utility management and more.