Eskom recently hosted the Transmission Development Plan (TDP) Implementation Forum to provide an update on the TDP and to apprise stakeholders of key developments that will facilitate the connection of new generation capacity for the country.
Eskom Transmission recently reported on progress made and work under way to extend the grid and enable new grid connections.
The implementation forum was hosted in place of the standard TDP Public Forum – traditionally hosted annually by Eskom, in accordance with the requirements of its transmission licence as issued by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) – where the Transmission Division shares its future plans. This year, Eskom has been exempted by Nersa from publishing the TDP, pending the finalisation of the new Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which forms a critical basis for the requisite transmission network studies. Furthermore, the assumptions made for new generation capacity in the TDP 2022 extended beyond the IRP 2019 period, which means they are still valid.
In his opening statement at the TDP Implementation Forum, Eskom Transmission Managing Director, Segomoco Scheppers, said: “We endeavour to keep our stakeholders abreast of significant developments in our business, and we value their input. It is for this reason that, having been granted exemption from publishing the TDP this year, we have chosen to engage our key stakeholders in this TDP Implementation Forum.
“In the TDP 2022 we indicated that the country’s transmission infrastructure would need to be augmented by some 14 000 km of extra-high-voltage lines and 170 transformers, to bring on board 105 865 MVA of transformer capacity over the next 10 years. We have made significant progress in advancing the critical enablers since we shared the TDP 2022 in October last year, and are now focusing on scaling up project execution,” Scheppers added.
He said there are currently 46 expansion projects in execution, of which 26 projects will deliver 1 632 km of transmission lines, 11 290 MVA of transformer capacity, and enable the integration of over 15 000 MW. Of these 26 projects, 50% (13) will deliver 1 197 km of transmission lines and 3 290 MVA of transformer capacity and enable the safe and reliable connection of over 10 000 MW of generation by 2028. This includes the integration of 4 800 MW from Medupi Power Station, 4 800 MW from Kusile and 267 MW via the Garob IPP Integration at Kronos substation. The other 50% (13 projects) are in various phases of the procurement process and will deliver 435 km of extra-high-voltage transmission lines, and 8 000 MVA of transformer capacity to enable the integration of 4 975 MW of new generation capacity, mainly in the Northern and Western Cape.
Scheppers also reported that since the last TDP Forum, Eskom has approved the execution of R26 billion in capital investment (up by 30% from R20 billion last year), 15 400 MVA (up 38% from 11 170 MVA in 2022), and 25 transformers (up 47% from 17 in the previous year).
In addition, Eskom has identified two priority programmes to accelerate the delivery of transmission infrastructure: 25 projects in existing substations (additional transformers) that will unlock 13 000 MW of new generation in the next five years, and 22 expedited transmission projects that will unlock 24 000 MW of grid connection capacity by 2033. “In summary, we are developing 47 projects which have the potential to unlock 37 000 MW of grid connection between 2025 and 2033,” Scheppers said. These projects are at different stages of implementation in terms of design, procurement, and construction.
He particularly emphasised that the successful rollout of Eskom’s plans will require continued support from all stakeholders, including the relevant authorities to unlock bottlenecks, as well as construction contractors and suppliers.
He further highlighted that the organisation is implementing several strategies in parallel to achieve the step-change required to deliver the infrastructure programme. In this regard, the newly developed Interim Grid Capacity Allocation Rules (IGCAR), which were introduced to facilitate the connection of shovel-ready projects, moving away from the first-come-first-served to a first-ready-first-served approach, are yielding the intended outcome. Based on the IGCAR, which were developed in consultation with the market, 32 of 42 independent power producers' projects in the greater Cape area met the allocation criteria and 27 of these projects have already been allocated grid connection capacity in the greater Cape area. Scheppers said the IGCAR assessment has since been extended to the rest of the country and the results will be communicated in due course.
He also noted that Eskom has recently published its updated Generation Connection Capacity Assessment (GCCA) to assist customers to make more informed decisions about where to pursue the development of new generation projects.
Providing participants at the forum with an update of the legal separation of the Transmission business as a wholly owned subsidiary of Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd, Scheppers said this process is at an advanced stage, with the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) SOC Ltd having already been registered and received approval for the requisite licences from Nersa. The NTCSA is expected to start operating in the next financial year, provided all suspensive conditions are met.
Scheppers said in closing, “We remain committed to providing non-discriminatory access to the transmission grid to generators and distributors, regardless of ownership, and to ensuring the rollout of the required grid expansions as fast as possible, while safely managing the power system.”
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