South Africa has authorized Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality to procure 2,400 MW of new electricity generation from independent power producers, according to an October 19 announcement reported by the South African Government News Agency.
The decision is a ministerial determination under Section 34 of the Electricity Regulation Act. The announced mix comprises 1,237 MW of solar photovoltaic generation, 780 MW of natural gas, 183 MW of waste-to-energy and 200 MW for innovative energy technologies.
The government’s account identifies 1,137 MW of the solar allocation as embedded generation in Ekurhuleni and 535 MW of the gas allocation as wheeled power. The minister said the municipality would remain connected to the grid.
For grid planning, the distinction between locally embedded supply and wheeled electricity makes network integration an important question. Procurement permission does not establish that the proposed resources are built, connected or available during system stress.
The next milestones to follow are procurement awards, project-specific connection arrangements and commissioning dates. Actual delivery and operating performance will determine how much electricity the programme supplies.