‘There are detailed plans which lie behind the speech, which was very much part of creating a framing and a public narrative,” Swilling told a webinar organised by the Centre for Sustainability Transitions and the South African Institute of International Affairs on Monday.
He praised the President’s announcement that SA would buy surplus electricity from other regional countries such as Zambia and Botswana through the Southern African Power Pool. Swilling said Tutuka was a relatively young power station and yet could only achieve a 30% availability factor — meaning it could produce only 30% of its power capacity — “which is absolutely horrifying”.
“And then there’s the question of whether this political settlement will hold. I don’t think the minister of energy and mineral resources was too happy with the outcome,” Swilling noted.Swilling noted that the Ukraine invasion had triggered an “absolutely stunning” increase of 40% in South Africa’s coal exports to European Union countries between January and May this year.
He questioned this, suggesting that local content requirements offered the opportunity for renewable energy production to be a major boost to South African industrialisation and job creation.
OUTASA Shit and corruption 🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴
OUTASA
OUTASA SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE IN 2015 . RAMAPHOSA IS THE WORST AND MOST USELESS PRESIDENT THAT SOUTH AFRICA HAS EVER HAD.
OUTASA Just on time...had to create the environment for people to trust in a change....