South Africa's electricity sector is facing an "interesting challenge", with the grid not designed for dispatched generation of intermittent energy sources, National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA) CEO Monde Bala told delegates at the South Africa-China Electricity & Energy Investment Conference, being held in Beijing, China, this week.
To accommodate the changes in the energy mix and the change in geographical location of those energy sources, the NTCSA, a subsidiary of State-owned power utility Eskom, is undertaking the Transmission Development Plan (TDP). However, it does not have the requisite capacity to undertake the necessary expansion of the grid on its own and is calling on international partners to assist.
The conference is a high-level investment mission by South Africa’s Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, aimed at unlocking strategic partnerships and investment for the country’s energy future.
Bala acknowledged that the TDP’s aspirations are “ambitious”, but that this is what is required. While the entity is currently “struggling” to meet the required pace, “with a lot of effort and intervention”, it would be able to deliver, he assured South Africans during an interview on the sidelines of the event.
