Cabinet To Discuss Additional Power Generation Capacity Amid Eskom Crisis

President Cyril Ramaphosa said Cabinet would discuss availing additional generation capacity in the light of Eskom’s continued challenges with sustainable power provision.

He was briefing reporters on Wednesday following a meeting with the Eskom management and board.

The president cut short his trip to Egypt this week after Eskom implemented stage 6 load shedding.

Just hours following Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe’s undertaking that he will move to develop more electricity generation capacity, Ramaphosa announced the issue would come before Cabinet when it meets.

“Right now, a clear proposal has been put on the table and there are a number of applications from the private sector who have been saying they want to self-generate and in the end have been saying they want to sell whatever they didn’t use to the grid.”

Ramaphosa was detailing some of the interventions Eskom and government would undertake to stabilise the provision of electricity after the country was left in the dark in recent weeks as Eskom implemented the much-dreaded load shedding.

He has called on the Eskom management to be more proactive in tackling the challenge while also announcing that all leave will be cancelled at the power utility until the crisis is brought under control.

EWN