Beware using Karpowership as a temporary electricity solution

The author contends that while South Africa requires urgent energy stabilization, the proposed Karpowership deal is an exorbitant and risky option. The text highlights the need for grid reconfiguration to support renewable energy and suggests that short-term gas needs could be more cost-effectively met via Mozambique rather than a 20-year contract with a company accused of circumventing environmental regulations.

• Karpowership proposes to supply 1.2 gigawatts of electricity via floating gas plants in Coega, Saldanha, and Richards Bay, but the project is estimated to cost over R200 billion for a 20-year contract.
• The project faces significant criticism regarding transparency and environmental ethics, including allegations that the company misled the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment and misrepresented the views of small-scale fisheries.
• South Africa's transition to renewable energy is hindered by a national transmission grid designed for coal power from Mpumalanga; upgrading the grid to ingest power from efficient sites like the Northern Cape would cost approximately R16 million per kilometre of cable.
• The Renewable Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP) has stalled in rounds five and six, resulting in a significant gap between bid capacity and approved power; in the last window, only 860MW was approved out of 9.6GW bid.
• Alternative strategies for short-term energy needs include leveraging existing gas infrastructure or acquiring natural gas supplementation from Mozambique, which is described as more cost-effective than the Karpowership deal.

APA

Maluleke, L. (2023). Beware using Karpowership as a temporary electricity solution. Good Governance Africa. https://gga.org/beware-using-karpowership-as-a-temporary-electricity-solution/

Chicago

Maluleke, Leleti. Beware using Karpowership as a temporary electricity solution. Good Governance Africa, 2023. https://gga.org/beware-using-karpowership-as-a-temporary-electricity-solution/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Maluleke |first1=Leleti |title=Beware using Karpowership as a temporary electricity solution |publisher=Good Governance Africa |date=5 May 2023 |url=https://gga.org/beware-using-karpowership-as-a-temporary-electricity-solution/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{maluleke2023beware, author = {Maluleke, Leleti}, title = {{Beware using Karpowership as a temporary electricity solution}}, publisher = {Good Governance Africa}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://gga.org/beware-using-karpowership-as-a-temporary-electricity-solution/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }