Cape Chamber welcomes City of Cape Town bid to absorb Eskom clients and infrastructure into single Metro power plan

The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Trade welcomes information that the Metropolis and Eskom are in dialogue concerning the doable switch of Eskom workers and infrastructure to the Metropolis, as reported in current months. If the transfer goes forward the Metropolis would take up Eskom-managed shoppers and infrastructure into its funds. About 15% of Metropolis residents obtain energy direct from Eskom.

Whereas such a switch would most probably lead to higher efficiencies, the Metropolis nonetheless wants to finish a full feasibility research to evaluate mission viability.  The takeover would contain assuming accountability for historic electrical energy infrastructure backlogs in a number of casual areas and would due to this fact require extra funds allocations. Nonetheless, the Metropolis’s observe file in servicing shoppers and managing electrical energy infrastructure is superior to that of Eskom.  Integrating all electrical energy infrastructure below a single administration unit would due to this fact contribute in the direction of higher operational effectivity.

Information of the Metropolis’s bid to consolidate administration management of energy provide inside the Metro precinct coincides with efforts to interact the enterprise neighborhood about doable load shedding curtailment in key industrial areas. We welcome this initiative, too, and are mobilising our members to help the Metropolis in finalising the plan. It entails non-public enterprise lowering consumption by 20 %, which may very well be achieved through set up of renewable power infrastructure. Though mission logistics are nonetheless below dialogue, we welcome this initiative together with the Metropolis’s a number of different efforts to scale back dependence upon Eskom.

The Chamber additionally welcomes Provincial Authorities initiatives geared toward assuaging load shedding pressures in small cities. This comes amid rising nervousness round Eskom’s seeming incapability to take care of its ageing fleet of energy stations.  In current months threats of a complete grid collapse have moved centre stage as key monetary establishments balk at funding into Eskom’s coal-fired energy stations.

Final month Normal Chartered Financial institution Southern Africa joined the record of economic companies corporations ill-disposed in the direction of Eskom’s invitation for personal sector partnership in extending the lifetime of its outdated fleet.

The Chamber is of the view {that a} broad-based civil society response to the present power disaster is extra important than ever.   Current occasions recommend authorities is more and more out of contact with each civil society and personal sector stakeholders relating to the extent of the power disaster and the way greatest to reply; as a substitute of listening to stakeholder considerations, authorities seems decided to impose its personal Eskom rehabilitation plan, in any respect prices.

The Chamber urges its authorities companions to speed up efforts to hunt significant non-public sector partnership in constructing a sustainable power future. – Cape Chamber of Commerce and Trade