Uncertainty surrounding resource programmes highlighted

With South Africa needing to ramp up its potential power supply in the medium and long term, engineering and design firm WSP⎪Parsons Brinckerhoff Africa comments that the biggest challenge impeding ramp up of power generation from IPPs is the level of uncertainty regarding power procurement initiatives by the Department of Energy (DoE). WSP power generation director Jay Urban points out that South Africa has a Coal Baseload Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (CBIPPPP), with the DoE also initiating a gas-to-power programme (GTP) for which the market is awaiting project information and request for quotations. Government also recently confirmed that it will go ahead with plans to start a nuclear baseload programme.