South Africa’s Emergency Plan To End Load Shedding Has Turned Into A Fiasco

THE debacle surrounding South Africa’s bid to secure emergency power supplies has highlighted a dysfunctional energy policy that’s subjecting Africa’s most-industrialized nation to intermittent blackouts.

Since March, the energy department has identified companies it wants to provide almost 2,000 megawatts of electricity to the grid by August next year.

But a losing bidder has alleged that the selection process was corrupt and sought to reverse it in court, environmental activists have raised objections and lawyers are at odds over whether ship-based power plants can be moored in the nation’s ports.

Delays to the projects, which now appear to be almost inevitable, will extend debilitating energy shortages that president Cyril Ramaphosa said are a “massive risk” for the economy, and further damage South Africa’s reputation as a feasible place to do business.

In addition to Turkey’s Karpowership, which is in line to supply 1,220 megawatts of power, some of the world’s