KNYSNA NEWS - The municipality has adopted an electricity master plan (EMP) to solve the electricity problems of the greater Knysna.
In a statement on Monday 14 June, Acting Municipal Manager Dawid Adonis said that the EMP was developed in an effort to proactively plan for the energy needs of the greater Knysna municipal area.
"The goal is to develop an electricity distribution network plan for a 10-year period and to formulate 20-year load growth projections," he explained. "These will be done in a set of high-, realistic- and low-growth scenarios."
Adonis said the EMP facilitates the future growth and upgrading needs of the municipality's low, medium and high voltage electricity distribution network. It includes the updating of network drawings; a capital investment plan; and a review of network challenges and their potential solutions.
It also identifies load growth for developments, rural customers and future leap-frog developments, and includes primary bulk and secondary infrastructure needs to cater for growth.
"We have a responsibility to deliver services to our residents. Our infrastructure must be able to carry the load. And while load shedding is becoming an ever more frequent part of our lives, we must ensure that our infrastructure allows the lights to turn on as soon as Eskom brings us back online."
Adonis said the constitution's prime mandate for local government is that services are provided in a sustainable manner (Section 150). Section 27 of the Electricity Regulation Act 4 (2006) states that a municipality must comply with technical and operational requirements for electricity networks, and must prepare and implement relevant plans and budgets.
"This is not about adhering to laws. This is about providing access to a basic service, about enhancing our residents' quality of life, and about building an inclusive, innovative, inspired Knysna," he said.
The EMP was prepared by Clinkscales Maughan-Brown Consulting Mechanical & Electrical Engineers and BDE Consulting Engineers, and presented to the municipal infrastructure services committee during a meeting held on 10 June.
'We bring you the latest Knysna, Garden Route news'
