South Africa to embrace off-grid generation

Africa’s richest nation will resort to allowing industry to generate its own power, to relieve pressure on beleaguered state utility Eskom amid load-shedding crisis

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has publicly stated that his government will facilitate the generation of power by private firms, and even households, to relieve pressure on the national grid during ongoing periodic load-shedding and blackouts. Ramaphosa heard from business leaders at the Business Unity South Africa’s (BUSA) Economic Indaba on 14 January in Johannesburg that energy supply was the number one priority and urgent action is needed. Industry, particularly the mining sector, has been lobbying hard for regulatory approval to generate its own power. Amid a deteriorating economic and employment situation, and a falling sovereign credit rating, power has become a pre-eminent i