Even though national electricity output exceeds demand, many South African households still lack access to power.
Speaking in Hatfield, Pretoria, Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said cost is keeping many homes without electricity, with residents unable to afford electricity units.
Here’s what to know
According to The Citizen, Ramokgopa said electricity pricing is a major reason available supply isn’t translating into household access, even though South Africa generates more power than it needs. He also announced plans for 4,600 megawatts in battery storage and a separate gas program.
To address that disconnect, the minister said a new electricity pricing policy is intended to help narrow the gap. He noted that Eskom does not set household tariffs; the National Energy Regulator of South Africa, or Nersa, does under a pricing framework last updated in 2008. “We want to resolve it, going forward.”
He said feedback on the policy showed many residents are asking for proper billing rather than refusing to pay. According to Ramokgopa, residents told officials, “We are prepared to pay,” while asking municipalities “to please formalise us.”
More background
His broader point was that enough generation on the grid does not automatically mean people can use electricity at home. In many cases, he said, affordability is the barrier, not a national supply shortage.
On load reduction, Ramokgopa said the issue stems largely from local network problems rather than overall generation. He said overloaded local networks, fed by unauthorized connections, fast-growing informal settlements, and weak municipal planning, are mostly to blame.
The minister said, “We accept that if you don’t roll out that programme, you are going to continue to have a situation where people don’t have access to electricity.”
He put the cost of a new transformer at about 500,000 South African rand ($300,000) and said load reduction has ended in seven of the country’s nine provinces.
What’s being done?
Measures being pursued include a new electricity pricing policy, aimed at affordability and addressing billing concerns raised during public consultation.
Officials are also considering whether to redirect daytime power surpluses to serve homes and businesses. Ramokgopa said any such move would still require regulatory approval.
The minister also pointed to 4,600MW of battery storage and a separate gas program for South Africa as part of an effort to strengthen the system while access and pricing issues are addressed at the local level.
He said the process will take time, describing it as work that “addresses both the moment and tomorrow,” and said pricing details are not yet settled, though he promised to “come back” with more details.
“Electricity can be available on the grid, but in many instances, it’s not accessible. By that, I mean, people can’t afford the price of electricity.”
Where can I learn more?
These stories look at how electricity costs and utility decisions affect what households can actually access. They cover free-power proposals, grid and reactor costs passed to customers, home batteries, and changes to household bills.
• Officials are pushing to give residents free electricity as the national grid struggles.
• In New Jersey, locals demand ratepayers are not burdened by proposed reactor costs.
• In the U.K., regulators say energy bills remain too high despite a new price cap.
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Source: www.yahoo.com
