CoE welcomes giant leap towards energy security and job creation
“Visionary leadership is leading the way in as the country moves towards sustainable power generation.”
Minister of Electricity and Energy Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa announced that the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) has been named the first municipality in the country to officially implement the Energy Partnership Programme (EPP).
This pioneering initiative will see the CoE procure 400MW of new generation capacity, comprising 100MW of Solar PV and 300MW of Gas-to-Power.
Executive Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza expressed his profound joy and optimism following the landmark pronouncement regarding the city’s Independent Power Producers (IPPs) programme.
“This is a historic turning point for the region,” he said.
“We are excited. This is a massive victory for the people of Ekurhuleni.
“For too long, our residents and businesses have suffered the devastating impacts of load-shedding and an unstable grid. By being the first to implement this programme, we are not just talking about fixing the energy crisis, we are actively solving it.”
He further highlighted the socio-economic benefits that will flow directly to the communities of Ekurhuleni as a result of this approval of the project.
“The 400MW injection is expected to unlock an estimated R8.5b in private investment and create approximately 5 000 direct and indirect jobs, 4 350 during construction and 350 permanent,” he explained.
“This development will also see the city save around R36 billion over 20 years on bulk electricity purchases while cushioning residents from electricity tariff increases.”
The programme will further bring an estimated R16.2b infrastructure investment to the city, broken down as follows:
• Solar PV: R10b
• Waste to energy: R4b
• Natural gas: R1b
• Innovative technologies: R1.2b
The CoE’s successful bid to be the first metro to implement the EPP is said to be a testament to the administration’s commitment to innovative, sustainable and practical solutions to the country’s most pressing challenges.
The IPP programme was first initiated in 2017 and has already appointed over 75 IPPs through two bid windows. The vision will become a reality when the sod is turned to initiate the construction of some of the programme’s projects.
“We thank the minister for his visionary leadership and for trusting the CoE to lead the way in this critical national project,” said Xhakaza.
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