The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy says it will soon introduce the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill 2022 in the National Assembly.
Furthermore, the amendment bill will seek to amend section 34 of the Electricity Regulation Act to provide more clarity in circumstances under which the minister of energy must make ministerial determinations. Other amendments relate specifically to the transmission system operator, including: defining its functions and powers by establishing a multi-market electricity trading platform and; facilitating ‘access to the transmission network on a non-discriminatory basis.’
When speaking on the bill, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the varied proposals under the amendment bill form part of several steps the country is taking to reform the electricity sector towards achieving a stable and secure supply of energy. Opening up the electricity market by expanding the transmission sector is a significant step in the government’s plans to split the embattled power utility Eskom into three separate entities.