Opinion: How should SA approach the procurement of least-cost power?

In the previous Transition Talk column (Engineering News May 17-23, 2019), I explored what it would take to depoliticize the process of drafting a rational Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for South Africa. Such a plan will outline what investments need to be made in the electricity sector. The next step, which is the topic of this Transition Talk, is to procure the generation assets required in the plan in an efficient manner. In regulatory terms, where prudency and efficiency are the two key objectives, the IRP stands for prudency (doing the right things), while the implementation of the IRP represents efficiency (doing things right).