South Africa has issued a request for proposals to procure 2,000 MW of emergency power, to help plug energy shortages.
Power procured under this programme is expected to be fully operational by not later than the end of June 2022, according to the department of energy. The move is expected to attract around 40 billion rand ($2.33 billion) of investment. South Africa’s state-owned power utility Eskom has been forced to cut power regularly, as unreliable coal-fired plants struggle to generate enough electricity to meet demand. Further, scheduled blackouts have resumed as South Africa has eased strict lockdown restrictions to contain the coronavirus and has re-opened industries, such as mining, in a bid to kickstart a weak economy.