Challenges facing the power utility featured predominately during the State of the Nation Address debate earlier this week in Parliament.announced Eskom is unable to meet its energy demands.
“According to Eskom we face at least two years minimum of potential load shedding. The President mentioned the following measures we will implement to address energy shortage; procurement of emergency power; the easing of requirement and process for generation for all use and enabling municipalities in good financial standing to buy their own power. “
In the video below, Minister of Mineral Resources Gwede Mantashe and other MPs debate the State of the Nation Address:Mantashe disputed suggestions that Independent Power Producers are ready to supply extra electricity to the national grid. The Democratic Alliance urged the Minister to purchase excess power from the existing IPPs, who they say are constrained to only sell limited quantities to the grid.“I hear it from everybody else except the Department of Energy, which means to me I know it’s not real, that we have available energy and the state does not want to use it. Where is it? Why don’t you bring it? Why do they talk to everybody else except the relevant department? There’s no such energy until it comes to the fore.