• The Tshwane Economic Development Agency is planning to host its Tshwane Energy Summit in Pretoria next month.
• The summit will take place from 19th to 20th June.
• The summit will host government officials, delegates from other countries and executives looking to address the energy crisis that appears to be spreading around the world.

While South Africa has enjoyed over 50 days without loadshedding there is work yet to do to secure South Africa’s energy needs.

Addressing those needs, planning for the future and more will be among the topics of discussion at the Tshwane Energy Summit at the Sun Bet Arena on 19th and 20th June. While the national energy system is a point of discussion, the focus will be on Tshwane where damage to infrastructure, maintenance budgets, and criminal activities will form the basis of most discussions.

The municipality has set itself the goal of generating 1 000MW of energy to lessen reliance on Eskom. By 2030, the municipality hopes to generate 10 percent of its electricity from renewable sources.

“We believe a multi-stakeholder approach will be key to achieving an energy resilient future for Tshwane, one where collaboration, partnerships and conversations between local and international organisations take centre stage,” says Paseka Rakosa, senior manager of marketing, communications, and stakeholder engagement at the Tshwane Economic Development Agency (TEDA). “Policy reforms, along with developing infrastructure, like solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations, need to play a significant role in our efforts to become energy independent and transition to cleaner energy.”

A litany of ministers, government officials, delegates from other nations and business leaders will be attending the summit which also includes an expo. At the expo attendees will be able to take a closer look at energy solutions from leading providers. Site visits to coal-fired power stations in Tshwane are also on the cards.

The summit will delve into what sustainable energy security could look like, promising thought-provoking public-private partnership discussions, engagements with academia, research institutions and investors.

For more information about the summit including how to attend, join as a sponsor or to exhibit, head to the official TEDA website here.

As mentioned, South Africa has enjoyed over 50 days without loadshedding but many are worried that this is simply the ANC garnering votes ahead of the elections at the end of the month. The government has been criticised for burning diesel at an alarming rate. In March it was reported that Eskom spent R3.1 billion to keep open-cycle gas turbines running.

Despite this monstrous spend, President Cyril Ramaphosa seems unfazed.

“Eskom is actually using these peaking plants at a much lower rate than the last two years. For example, last month Eskom spent more than half as much on diesel as it did in April 2023,” Ramaphosa said last week.

Many believe that once the polls close on 29th May loadshedding will return, Eskom has said that it hopes to keep loadshedding at Stage 2 this Winter.