Question NW659 to the Minister in The Presidency for Electricity
05 April 2024 - NW659
Mhlongo, Ms N to ask the Minister in The Presidency for Electricity
What are the relevant details of the infrastructure investments being prioritised by Eskom to strengthen the resilience and reliability of the national electricity grid, particularly in response to climate change and extreme weather events?
Reply:
Transmission projects have been identified and are funded up to FY26 through the government debt relief package. These projects are for integrating renewable energy in line with determinations issued according to S34 of the Electricity Regulations Act (ERA). The priority programme consists of 47 projects that will deliver 37GW of grid connection capability. A total of 12 of these projects are at the procurement stage, in preparation to start construction.
In line with the grid code, transmission infrastructure is planned and constructed with redundancy, often called “N-1”. The grid is therefore largely redundant to ensure resiliency.
Transmission has also increased its budgets significantly for the replacement of assets at the end of life. This will address aged assets as observed by the VGBE consultants in their recent report. Transmission however plans to carry out performance using world best practices, again as observed in the report by VGBE consultants. We also conduct asset condition assessments that can inform us in advance of assets at risk of failure
To respond to failures that may still occur even after all this due care, we keep strategic and critical spares. Transmission continues to conduct research in areas that will improve grid resilience, such as new physical and cyber security standards and alternative materials.