Call For Renewable Energy Now: Section 34 Determination

Attn: The Honourable Minister of Minerals and Energy, Gwede Mantashe

Dear Honourable Minister Mantashe

It is not in dispute that:

The electricity crisis and load-shedding continues to cause human suffering and cost the economy billions.
The law (Electricity Regulation Act section 34) provides for the Minister for Energy to issue a determination for large-scale new electricity generating capacity to be built.
The Integrated Resource Plan (IRP 2019) issued by your department calls for 20,400MW of new renewable energy generation to be built by 2030, as well as 2,088MW of storage.
You issued a determination on 25 September 2020 for 6,800MW of renewable energy, which leaves a remainder of 13,600MW for which determinations need to be issued.
That determination also provides for 513MW of storage to be procured, which leaves a remainder of 1,575MW for which determinations need to be issued.
Renewable energy and storage have been shown to be far quicker to build than other forms of electricity supply.
From the determination itself, it is clear that the issuing of determinations does not need to follow the timetable set out in the IRP 2019 in cases of urgency related to energy security.
The current IRP is widely acknowledged to be in need of updating, however urgent action is needed now, before updating the IRP is completed

We therefore call on you to immediately issue determinations for the procurement of 13,600MW of renewable energy and 1,575MW of storage.

Please respond within ten days, by 17 July 2022.

Endorsed by: