Eskom officials say while progress has been made in increasing the country’s power supply, load shedding would remain a reality for years to come.
The much-anticipated Medupi and Kusile power stations have already costed the country more than R300 billion.
The projects were expected to be fully operational by the end of 2024 but Eskom officials said this would not mean the end of load shedding.
Construction of the Medupi and Kusile power stations commenced in 2008.
It was already too late, then, as the national grid began to fail amid neglect and under-investment.
Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha warned that South Africa may have to spend more money to increase power generation capacity.
“Medupi and Kusile are not nearly enough. The older power stations such as Grootvlei, and Camden, and Raina should have already been retired, but you need something to replace them. Until you get that, you cannot talk of ending load shedding.”
The country’s poor energy supply has had a negative impact on the economy, but municipalities like Johannesburg and Cape Town say they have begun processes to reduce their dependence on Eskom.
It is hoped that the inclusion of independent power producers would address the country’s poor energy supply challenge.
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