Cabinet approves IRP2019
Cabinet on Thursday announced it had approved the promulgation of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), South Africa's policy blueprint for the electricity sector.The IRP spells out a proposed energy mix for the country until 2030.In a statement, Cabinet said "most of the inputs" from experts in the sector, the public and academia, received during a public consultation process last year were included in the 2019 IRP."The plan proposes nine interventions to ensure the country responds to the energy needs for the next decade. The interventions draw from the current baseline of the demand and supply of the country’s energy and the country’s international obligations to the minimum emission standards," the statement said."The plan remains within the policy framework of pursuing a diversified energy mix that reduces reliance on a single or few primary energy sources. It will be revised in line with the changing energy sector environment."The approved IRP can be accessed on the mineral resources and energy department website after it is gazetted. The IRP was released as the country is experiencing another round of rotational power cuts as Eskom moves to fix boiler tube leaks at five of the utility's generating units. Business Unity South Africa this week warned that any further delay in releasing the IRP would prejudice procurement and investment decisions. https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/cabinet-approves-irp2019-2019-10-17
