Joburg asks for proposals from power producers

The City of Johannesburg is casting the net wide to get independent power producers on board to help "shield" residents from the impact of load shedding.The city on Wednesday issued a request for proposals, seeking alternative energy sources as it relies on Eskom for 90% of its power needs. The rest of its power comes from the independent coal-fired power station Kelvin. This is a step for the city to ensure "reliable, sustainable and affordable energy", said executive mayor Mpho Phalatse."A city whose contribution to the national economy is almost 16%, while making up 40% of Gauteng's economy, cannot be left without energy for hours on end," Phalatse added.The aim is to enter into short-term contracts with independent power producers – for up to 36 months.The city has not placed limitations on the amount of generation capacity nor the technology required. The city is open to solar, gas, battery storage, waste-to-energy and gas-to-power as a dispatchable option – which means gas will be used as and when needed."We are casting the net as wide as possible, to try to include as many players that are out there to construct a holistic and sustainable independent power producer programme that is fit for purpose in the City of Johannesburg, in order to shield Johannesburg's businesses and communities from the socioeconomic poison of government-sponsored blackouts," said spokesperson Nickolaus Bauer.The deadline for the request for proposals is 31 January.EaseBloomberg previously reported that the City was looking to buy 500MW of power from independent producers to ease load shedding."The traditional business model of procuring the bulk of our power from Eskom is no longer viable. Eskom itself has conceded to that effect. It is for this reason that we have developed a sustainable energy strategy that includes procuring power from diverse sources," noted City Power CEO Tshifularo Mashava.The request for proposal follows five months of consultation with stakeholders such as National Treasury, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa, and the City of Cape Town.The DA-led City of Cape Town has managed to limit the stages of load shedding its residents' experience with alternative power sources such as the Steenbras pumped storage scheme. Earlier this year, Cape Town issued tenders to procure as much as 300MW of renewable energy to continue to limit the impacts of load shedding.Phalatse, a member of the DA, is leading a multiparty government in Gauteng. She is expected to face a vote of no confidence in the Gauteng legislature next week.-Fin24

Joburg asks for proposals from power producers

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