Western Cape's Plans to avoid load shedding, include 'power packs' for certain homes

With significant investment plans on the horizon, the Western Cape is continuing its journey away from the national grid and towards energy independence.

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde remarked in his State of the Province Address (SOPA 2023) on Thursday (16 February) that the province is South Africa’s last chance for a better future, particularly in the power industry.

He claimed that the province had a head start on the national government when it comes to dealing with load shedding and had made considerably more progress than the national administration had promised.

The Western Cape intends to guarantee that when the lights go out due to load shedding, companies have access to water, education, and connection, which will help them maintain adequate operating standards.

Winde stated that the government has sought the provincial treasury for R1.1 billion towards energy independence and a weekly digital energy conference to remain on top of any changes in the energy situation.

In January, the Western Cape government also authorised an emergency release of approximately R89 million for the procurement of backup generators to ensure that municipal services such as water supply, wastewater treatment, and sewerage infrastructure are protected as much as possible from ongoing load shedding.

Since individuals have spent an average of R30 billion rand on inverters or other assistive equipment, the province government has asked its treasury for cash to aid poorer homes with emergency ‘power packs,’ according to Winde.

The premier stated that the province is also very interested in green hydrogen projects and has already met with a few international companies to discuss the new fuel and its exporting.

In addition to the activities listed above, the Provincial Electricity System Emergency Plan states that the provincial disaster management centre would stay on high alert for the duration of load shedding.

The City of Cape Town activated its crisis management centre in December 2022 to try to reduce rolling blackouts and organise mitigation actions.

The city has taken substantial steps to safeguard citizens from power outages. It recently announced intentions to purchase electricity from business and residential residences via wheeling and is working to get more money to pull power from new energy sources.

In general, the city’s plans include:

• Buying power on the open market, with the second phase of its major IPP procurement due to be announced soon;
• Paying businesses and residents to sell power back to the city;
• Incentives for voluntary energy savings under a new Power Heroes programme;
• Municipal generation projects such as Steenbras Hydro power, solar PV, and gas turbines.

Winde suggested that the national government ring-fence provinces that are making progress in combating electricity limitations by providing them with a reasonable and reflective degree of load shedding. He expressed dissatisfaction when the president rejected his advice during his State of the Union address.

He stated that energy independence within the Western Cape would best safeguard residents from the ongoing load shedding situation.

According to DailyInvestor, Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter has predicted that 2023 will be a difficult year for power outages.

According to the CEO, existing challenges should be addressed and fixed by the end of 2023. He expressed confidence that if this aim is met, the outlook for the years after 2024 will improve.

Yet, despite these measures, load-shedding may continue since considerable new capacity must be added to the grid to prevent power outages, according to De Ruyter.