South Africa's Next Energy Challenge: A $21 Billion Grid Upgrade.

South Africa is facing a significant challenge in addressing its ongoing electricity outages, which have negatively impacted the economy. To resolve this issue, the country needs to invest in a 390-billion-rand ($21 billion) expansion of its national grid to connect more power plants. The state utility, Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., plans to build thousands of kilometers of power lines, increase transformer capacity, and develop other infrastructure. However, funding for this expansion is a major obstacle, as Eskom has accumulated significant debt and is unable to secure additional loans. The inadequate transmission infrastructure is also hindering efforts to increase the electricity supply, including the connection of wind and solar plants. The government has endorsed the creation of an Independent Transmission Projects Office to attract private financing for the grid, but there are concerns about privatization and the need for a balanced approach. Despite anticipated delays, some progress has been made in easing regulations and improving the utilization of the existing grid. [Extracted from the article]

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