By: Buhle Mbhele
Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has reported that the Integrated Resources Plan will bring an estimated investment of R2.2 trillion to South Africa by 2042.
He says that the IRP is a policy that will ensure security of electricity supply necessary by balancing supply with demand while optimizing the environmental impact and total cost of supply.
Ramokgopa delivered the plan in Pretoria yesterday where he explained that this seeks to minimize the cost of electricity to the economy and reduce global and local emissions.
He says that through this plan security of electricity supply in the country will be intensified.
“Load shedding had a devastating impact on the South African economy, so I am not talking about the unit cost of the energy source. What is the cost of not having electricity in South Africa? That’s cost to the South African economy. That’s what they were answering and, in this instance, we are looking at what is the cost associated with choosing energy source over the other in relation to the expansion of the grid,” says Ramokgopa.
