NATIONAL NEWS - Energy regulator Nersa recently decided to concur with Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe’s approval of an Eskom request to build a 3 000 megawatt (MW) gas power station in Richards Bay.
The project is expected to be completed in 2028 at the latest and will generate enough energy to mitigate at least three stages of load shedding.
The approval comes after Nersa rejected the very same request in December because, it argued, Eskom followed the wrong process and did not need its concurrence.
The regulator now sits with two conflicting decisions and will approach the High Court to set aside the first, since Nersa lacks the power to overturn its own decision.
This bizarre turn of events comes after Nersa based its rejection on outdated regulations, according to Nhlanhla Gumede, full-time regulator member for electricity.
Nersa regularly publishes the agenda of its regulator meetings, which are open to the public.
The item was on the agenda for its 23 February meeting, but it was decided during the meeting that it should be dealt with behind closed doors. Nersa has not yet published the decision, but Gumede disclosed it when asked during a telephonic interview.
