South Africa – South Africa has received a power generation boost from Mozambique, raising questions about its impact on the country’s ongoing electricity crisis. As the country grapples with an energy crisis, the partnership aims to provide a much-needed boost. However, questions remain about Mozambique’s capacity to meet the increased demand.
Mozambique currently supplies South Africa with 1000 megawatts of electricity through a transmission line. However, the discussions aim to further increase this capacity by constructing a new 600-megawatt power generation facility within the next six months. The specifics of this agreement and the source of the additional capacity are yet to be fully disclosed.
Addressing South Africa’s energy problems
South Africa, grappling with an energy crisis, has turned to its neighbour Mozambique for assistance due to the latter’s significant natural gas reserves. As South Africa’s immediate neighbour, Mozambique possesses vast gas resources that could potentially help alleviate the energy challenges both countries face. However, there are several factors to consider in terms of Mozambique’s capacity to address this issue effectively.
While Mozambique has proven gas reserves, there is still a lack of infrastructure for gas extraction, storage, and transportation. The availability of the necessary technology and infrastructure to harness and distribute gas remains uncertain, explained Crown Prince Adil Nchabeleng, President of Transform RSA.
“[The ability] for Mozambique to extend its generation capacity, we don’t know yet if it’s capable. Is there enough grid access to make sure that they can increase the production. On top of that, when you do generations, remember when you say another 100 megawatts, there must be a generator ready that will be able to produce 100 megawatts of electricity. Is that capacity ready? We don’t know yet.”
Bilateral talks and uncertain details
At present, the discussions between South Africa and Mozambique are in their early stages. The exact details, including the source and timeline of the additional 80 to 100 megawatts of electricity, have not been clearly established.
“Currently the discussions are about bilaterals. The planners, engineers, operators and all of the critical technical people will still have to sit on the round table and design a solution because this is not going to be a private solution. It will have to be executed by Eskom directly. All of the planning will have to be done because on the South African side there is a transmission site. On the Mozambique inside there is a generation as well as the transmission into our high voltage long distance transmission line. Those details have not yet been made clear. It’s still at a discussion level.”
These bilateral talks show promise, but further dialogue and planning involving technical experts and critical stakeholders are necessary to develop a viable solution.
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Unveiling the cause of recent changes
A notable point of discussion is the sudden availability of electricity in South Africa, leading to a reduction in load shedding. The reasons behind this change remain unclear, and speculation about deliberate manipulation of load shedding for economic gain or other motives has emerged.
“Suddenly we have electricity and yet when we were telling people that there is capacity, everybody couldn’t believe it. There was no new capacity added. There is nothing. No other apertures have been made from outside that has brought in the electricity into Eskom. What has really changed to have this electricity available now when loadshedding is now less and lessening as the days are going by? We’re not sure whether this trend will sustain for the next week or week after and as you can see, it’s quite up and down and quite static. There’s nothing really guaranteed. What really has changed?”
According to Nchabeleng, it is a known fact that most of the power plants are “switched off deliberately” and now these plants are being switched on and left to operate. However, if this is true, it may have even worse long-term consequences if maintenance is not properly prioritised.
South Africa’s collaboration with Mozambique to enhance power generation capacity brings hope for a resolution to the country’s electricity crisis. However, it is crucial to carefully consider the details of the agreement, such as the sustainability of Mozambique’s gas resources and the necessary infrastructure.
Continued discussions and transparent decision-making processes are essential for addressing the energy challenges effectively.
Crown Prince Adil Nchabeleng engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Inayet Wadee, shedding light on innovative short-term solutions and the significant role of the private sector in addressing South Africa’s energy challenges. Tune in to the insightful discussion by clicking here:
