South African President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a nationwide state of disaster Thursday in an effort to address the energy crisis the country has been facing for months.
The move will give the South African government additional powers to respond to the crisis, including the ability to implement emergency procurement procedures and new regulations, SABC News has learned.
In this regard, the national energy company, Eskom, will start procuring power from private producers, and will acquire about 300MW from neighboring countries.
«This will allow us to provide the practical steps we need to take to help a number of companies ensure uninterrupted power supply. It will enable us to exempt critical infrastructure such as hospitals and treatment plants from load shedding,» Ramaphosa said in a televised speech.
According to the South African president, the country must give an effective response to the energy crisis, which is why some of his cabinet ministers will be «day and night» looking for solutions, according to the newspaper.
«This crisis is an existential crisis for our country and we must address this crisis without delay. Coordination in addressing the electricity crisis is an important instrument that I need, so we will have ministers focused day and night on this crisis that we have been facing», he said.
The country’s power plants are experiencing blackouts and breakdowns are becoming more frequent. Meanwhile, Eskom is struggling financially to keep its combined cycle gas turbines running. The utility has also previously been forced to shut down some of its power plants, worsening the situation.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
