SOUTH African Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa proposed a “mega bid window” for the procurement of renewable energy to curb rolling blackouts, even as previous plans to build clean power generation have been delayed.
Ramokgopa recommended buying a minimum of 15 000 megawatts of energy, in addition to other measures that go beyond a seventh round of auctions for renewable-power supply that’s already planned.
The proposal is evidence of the country’s commitment to green power, the minister said at a solar-energy conference in Johannesburg on Tuesday, even as he pushes to extend the life of coal-fired electricity plants.
The plan to acquire renewable energy was presented to the governing African National Congress’s highest decision-making body over the weekend.
It adds to other measures he’s proposed to end daily blackouts that are hobbling economic growth in Africa’s most industrialised nation, including the use of diesel turbines to generate emergency power, according to
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