South Africa’s Cabinet – the most senior level of the executive branch of the government – has approved the country’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2023.
Set to be published by South Africa’s Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, the plan aims to assess electricity demand and supply, serving as a blueprint for the country’s electricity infrastructure and overall costs.
Originally intended to be updated every two years, only two versions of the IRP exist to date, which include the original 2010 plan and the amended version enacted in 2019.
“Several key assumptions used in the IRP 2019 have significantly changed, including the electricity demand projection, Eskom’s energy availability factor, Eskom’s coal-fired power plants shutdown plan, and the cost of new power-generation technologies,” stated Minister in the Presidency of South Africa, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, during a media briefing on December 11.
“This will underpin our responses in relation to how we are going to address the energy situation in the country,” added South Africa’s newly appointed Minister of Electricity, Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.
