Escalating Situation in South Africa

Wind Industry Profile of

Despite government issuing an official notice on 25 March 2020, classifying electricity production, supply and maintenance as essential services, Eskom is proposing to curtail operational wind farms citing reduced demand in relation to COVID-19, claiming Force Majeure.

This comes as a surprise to the 22 operational wind farms, who have a combined installed capacity of 1980 MW’s, as the power utility failed to alert or warn the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) of such action, prior to issuing the notices. In fact, Eskom’s Single Buyer Office sent a letter to all operating IPPs last week (25 March 2020), to confirm that the categorization of essential services applies to facilities currently in operation. “It is concerning that wind energy power... ... More: Official Press Release SAWEA

Keywords:

South Africa, ESKOM, power, wind farm, operator, COVID-19, electricity, IPP, government