Johannesburg - South Africa’s main renewable energy industry body said on Sunday it was confident the country’s renewable power programme would soon be back up to speed after President Jacob Zuma showed support for the sector in his State of the Nation speech.
“Eskom will sign the outstanding power purchase agreements for renewable energy in line with the procured rounds,” Zuma told Parliament in his speech on Thursday.
The South African Renewable Energy Council (Sarec) said the president’s statement was a clear sign of support for the renewable energy programme.
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“We now look forward to the identification of PPA (power purchase agreement) signature dates, so South Africa’s well-oiled independent power procurement programme process can continue, and so that construction of the next set of renewable power plants can begin,” Sarec's chairperson, Brenda Martin, said.
Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe said: “What the president said last night is not different from what Eskom has been saying all along.”