Government Creates Plans to Stop Loadshedding and Take Eskom Back to the Top

• A National Infrastructure Plan has been set out by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure
• The plan includes developments leading up to the year 2050 as well as more immediate plans for the next three years
• There are many areas discussed in the plan, however one of the main points involves South Africa's energy supply

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DURBAN - The Public Works and Infrastructure Department has reportedly published a plan involving the South African Government's important developments up until the year 2050. It is called the National Infrastructure Plan.

One of the main points of the plan is the country's energy supply. Government proposed a move from fossil fuels and therefore the ongoing loadshedding within 30 years. The DPWI stated that loadshedding has been caused by a number of factors.

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A report by BusinessTech revealed that while the majority of the plan of action focuses on changes that will be put in place by 2050, there is a specific section that focuses on direct and immediate changes planned to be implemented within the next three years.

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The changes are as follows:

- Embattled power utility Eskom will have three separate entities which will handle generation, transmission and distribution;

- The licence limit of 100 MW self-generation will be lifted in 2021/22 and a central database of projects will be enabled;

- The idea of appointing National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) councillors will be reviewed in an attempt to ensure there is independence in the process;

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-By 2022, there will be a plan of action in place to stabilise the power utility and promote a turnaround pathway to viability and vibrancy in the long run;

- The municipalities that deliver power to a larger number of residents and that display a number of big issues will have the support to maintain systems of distribution and billing by 2023/24; and

- A plan to reduce the dependency on coal will be put in place.

The news follows a massive explosion that damaged the Medupi power station. According to Bloomberg, Eskom did not release details regarding the cost of the damage or how long repairs will take.

Eskom reported an explosion at its Medupi power station where several employees had to be treated

Previously, Briefly News reported that Eskom confirmed in a statement on Monday that its Medupi power plant based in Lephalale, Limpopo experienced an explosion.

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The incident is said to have occurred at the station's unit four on Sunday night with emergency services attending to several employees for shock. However, no injuries were reported, according to News24.

Additional reporting by SABC News noted that all employees at the plant have been accounted for. Further, it is believed the incident caused Unit 5 to trip but the coal-fired power station's other four generating units are said to be in operation.

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Source: Briefly News