Dear Editor
The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes Cabinet’s approval of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2025 on 15 October and Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa’s upcoming media briefing this Sunday, 19 October, at the GCIS in Pretoria.
South Africans deserve clarity on what lies behind the R2.23 trillion investment figure announced as part of the plan. This is an extraordinary amount of money, likely incorporating Eskom’s Transmission Development Plan, and it cannot simply be waved through without full transparency on funding sources, timelines, and safeguards against the type of cost overruns that crippled Medupi and Kusile.
Early signals point to a renewed nuclear drive, with Minister Ramokgopa already hinting at the revival of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) project — a programme that was shelved in 2010 after R12 billion had already been spent. Before any new commitments are made, updated feasibility and cost assessments must be tabled and scrutinised, particularly ahead of any Section 34 determinations.
At the same time, grid access and capacity constraints remain unresolved. New nuclear or gas projects will mean little if South Africa cannot move the electricity they produce. The ongoing failure to modernise and expand the grid continues to hold back renewable investment and threatens energy security.
Equally troubling is the continued dysfunction in municipal electricity distribution. The IRP provides no real answers for municipalities struggling to maintain or upgrade their networks, leaving consumers to bear the cost of inefficiency and mismanagement.
The DA will use every parliamentary mechanism to demand:
- Full disclosure of how the R2.23 trillion will be financed;
- Detailed cost studies before any new projects proceed;
- Greater competition through an independent market operator, instead of reinforcing Eskom’s monopoly; and
- A renewed emphasis on electricity affordability alongside generation security.
The DA expects the full IRP 2025 report to be gazetted this week and will provide a comprehensive response once the document is available. South Africans must see the facts for themselves, not a polished version presented at a press conference.
Regards
Kevin Mileham MP
DA Spokesperson on Electricity & Energy