| Work Detail |
Green energy solutions, exploitation of renewable energy sources and the use of modern technology are the factors underpinning the agreements signed between South Africa and China.
In his weekly update on South Africas Energy Action Plan on Sunday, 27 August, Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said the agreements signed in the past week with Chinese state-owned entities and the donation by China are to address the countrys emergency energy solutions.
South Africa concluded several agreements with Chinese state-owned entities (SOEs) with the signing of two overarching memoranda that were witnessed by President Cyri Ramaphosa and President Xi Jinping.
South Africa hosted the 15th BRICS Summit last week and the country also hosted President Xi on his fourth State Visit to South Africa ahead of the Summit.
Ramokgopa explained that the two agreements include amongst others, addressing issues of green energy solutions, exploitations of renewable energy sources and the use of modern technology.
China a major renewable energy player
"The two agreements - the first one addresses issues around green energy solutions -the partnership agreement we will be entering in relation to the exploitation of renewable energy sources in our country; the use of modern technology and the degree to which we are able to connect renewable energy onto the grid.
"The rationale for entering with the Chinese in this regard is because they are a dominant player in the renewable energy space. They have 688 gigawatts of installed capacity of renewables, a combination of PV and wind. They have done one of the biggest expansions of transmission and they have also worked on the kind of transmission modernisation required to be able to accommodate the intermittency of renewable sources," Ramokgopa said.
In regards to the donation by China, he said this is aimed at addressing South Africas emergency energy solutions, which are targeted at key public facilities such as police stations, health institutions and correctional centres. |
