Mr Malema said South Africa would look to countries that have succeeded in providing electricity to solve its power problems.
Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema said his party would halt plans to decommission seven coal-fired power plants due to close by 2032 if given the chance to come to power.
Speaking at the launch of his party's manifesto on Saturday on the theme of “Get our land, our jobs now and stop offloading”, Malema said decommissioning the power plants was contrary to the needs of South Africans. Ta.
Malema added that ending load shedding would include extending the life of coal-fired power plants until the renewable energy sector can prove they can generate enough megawatts to sustain the country.
Closing coal-fired power plants is part of the country's plan to transition away from fossil fuels, including coal. It is part of the Paris Agreement, a legally binding document signed by countries with the goal of “limiting the rise in global average temperatures to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.” As part of the agreement, South Africa plans to transition to clean energy to reduce emissions.
South Africans have been under-burdened for 16 years due to poor planning, lack of maintenance and corruption, including looting at Eskom, all of which have contributed to slowing economic growth.
Concerns about insufficient baseload (the lowest level of demand on the grid at any one time) have led to concerns about what will happen to renewable energy, especially during peak demand periods when the sun isn't shining or there's no wind. characterizes the discussion.
Malema said that to resolve load shedding, the party must “copy successful models like China and ensure the security of electricity supply for at least the next 20 years to promote national sovereignty and sustainable economic growth.” We will ensure it.”
This comes as the country entered stage 6 load shedding on Saturday after Eskom announced it was facing a setback as multiple generators (10 generators) were shut down.
Eskom said in a statement that 50% of its power generation units were lost due to a tube leak. “The result was insufficient power generation capacity. Additionally, delays in the return of his three units from scheduled maintenance also contributed to the lack of power generation capacity and increased reliance on emergency reserves. ” Eskom said.
On Saturday, Malema said the EFF government would strengthen its technical capacity by working with China and other friendly countries to repair and rehabilitate coal-fired power plants.
“The EFF government will work with strategic partners to build nuclear power plants in South Africa through a transparent procurement process.”
“The facility is planned to produce between 3,000 and 6,000 MW of electricity under a 20-year Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contract. This initiative will increase South Africa's power generation capacity and increase energy It will represent an important step towards self-reliance and sustainable development,” Malema said.
He added that the EFF manifesto's plans to solve the electricity crisis range from eradicating illegal electricity connections, launching an electricity safety campaign and investing in the electrification of the continent.
