“The Minister considered the application to safeguard the national security of the country and to discharge the international obligations of the republic,” the Department of Transport indicated in a statement, adding, “It is for this reason that the Minister gave the TNPA latitude to make necessary decisions in implementing this directive, such as considering the safety measures and operationability of this directive.”
Karpowership’s application was approved by Hon. Minister Chukunga on 26 February in consultation with the TNPA. The application received support from South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, who told lawmakers that the ships will serve to ease the country’s prolonged power shortages.
In December 2019, South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy issued a tender for 2,000 MW of emergency power generation, for which Karpowership was granted the largest share.
