Rethinking South Africa's power grid

Sustained power cuts have led to a focus on increasing electricity supply, but resolving the crisis also requires fixing the grid.

Date: 2015-09-15

Time: 10:30 to 12:30

Venue: Conference room , ISS Pretoria , Block C , Brooklyn Court , 361 Veale Street , map

RSVP: Anu Klaassens
Phone: +27 12 346 9500
Email: [email protected]

Click here to download the presentations.

Resolving South Africa’s energy crisis means more than just new sources of power. Policy makers and planners also need to pay attention to the electricity grid.

Sustained power cuts have led South Africans to focus on how to increase the supply of electricity, from coal-fired power plants to oil and gas, renewables and potentially a fleet of nuclear power stations. Independent power producers are now contributing to supply, and private power generation is increasing at homes and businesses. But the focus on how and where electricity is generated has overlooked the grid.

A new research paper from the Institute for Security Studies shows how designing and managing a more efficient and appropriate grid will produce a better return on South Africa’s energy investments. It could also make renewable energy a more significant part of the mix.

This is particularly important as South Africa moves from centralised monopoly energy production to a decentralised model with multiple smaller power sources and producers.

Chair: Jakkie Cilliers, Executive Director, ISS

Speakers: