SONA 2023: What then is the strategy for ending load shedding?

President Cyril Ramaphosa gave his highly anticipated statement about the load shedding challenges our nation is facing during tonight's State of the Nation Address (SONA).

AN EIGHT-STEP PLAN TO ATTACK LOAD SHEDDING
Ramaphosa unveiled a five-step strategy in July 2022 to address the 4,000–6,000 MW electricity shortage.

Eskom's coal-fired power plants needed to be fixed, and the availability of current supplies needed to be increased.
Enable and quicken private investment in generation capacity, second.
Thirdly, hasten the acquisition of new capacity using gas, battery storage, and renewable energy sources.
The fourth phase involved encouraging individuals, families, and companies to invest in rooftop solar.
To achieve long-term energy security, the fifth stage involves substantially changing the power system.
According to Ramaphosa, experts concur that this proposal is the most practical way to halt load shedding.

He said that during the previous six months, the plan's implementation had achieved significant progress.

FUEL TANKS AND SOLAR PANELS
The National Treasury is putting the finishing touches on a plan to reduce Eskom's R400 billion debt load, according to President Ramaphosa.

He promised that the government will help Eskom find additional funds so that it could buy diesel for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Eskom will be able to use its diesel-powered plants when the system is under stress, which is intended to lessen the severity of load shedding.

Eskom has started a scheme to purchase surplus electricity from individual generators.

It has already obtained 300 MW from nearby nations.

To assist small firms in making solar equipment investments, the National Treasury is also working on modifying the bounce-back loan program.

Additionally, this will enable banks and development finance organizations to directly borrow from the program, facilitating the leasing of solar panels to their clients.