Meanwhile, South Africans brace themselves for stage 8 of power cuts. Image: Pixabay
Eskom attempts to build gas power plant in KZN
With over R250billion bailout from National Treasury, Eskom is unable to fund the project themselves and working on finding funds.
Meanwhile, South Africans brace themselves for stage 8 of power cuts. Image: Pixabay
As the country suffers from continued blackouts, the National Energy Regulator has approved Eskom’s plan to build a 3000 megawatt gas power plant in Richards Bay.
The Power plant which Eskom plans to join the grid by 2024, could see the reduction of loadshedding by three stages- so no immediate relief for South Africans.
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According to Canadian website Energy Education, gas power accounts for over 20% of the worlds electricity generation. The number is expected to grow as gas powerplants are quick to build.
POWER TRANSFER
The proposed power station may hit a snag if Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramakgopa does not agree with the plans. Last week President Cyril Ramaphosa gave executive powers with all matter pertaining power generation in the country.
The project was initially given the green light by Energy minister Gwede Mantashe.
However, Manthashe’s powers were limited this week after President Cyril Ramaphosa finally gave executive powers to the electricity minister, nearly three months after giving him the job.
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Ramokgopa will now have the power to direct the procurement of new generation capacity and ensure the security of supply.This includes all the powers contained in Section 34(1) of the Electricity Regulation Act, which were previously held by Mantashe.
“This will provide a single point of command for the government’s efforts to close the shortfall in electricity supply,” the presidency said.
“The minister will work full-time with the Eskom board and management to end load-shedding and ensure that the Energy Action Plan announced by the President is implemented without delay.”
COEGA GAS PLANT
The proposed gas power plant in Richards isn’t the only one in the works as the 1000MW Coega Gas Power Plant in Gqeberha. Earlier this year, the project started with its Environmental Impact Assessment. Construction of the plant will commence once Environmental Authorisation is granted by the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment.
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Coega Development Corporation project development manager Duane Mouton, says that development of the gas economy is being supported by providing an enabling environment for prospective investors.
“An Environmental Authorisation is an important enabler for the development of this sector and the CDC wishes to increase momentum towards the development of Gas-to-Power infrastructure.”
“The EIA process is a legislated process and takes on average 12 – 18 months; however, as we have to undertake seasonal studies, we anticipate the EIA process to be complete in 2024,” explains Mouton.
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Following the EIA process, the construction period and project completion will be determined by the prospective investor; however, the prospective investor has not been identified yet. Nevertheless, a typical construction period for these types of projects is between 24-36 months. The CDC is also aligning its activities to the timelines of the IRP 2019, which indicates the procurement of 3,000 MW of electricity being generated from gas to be operational by 2027,” concludes Mouton.
