PCC recommendations on the IRP2023: March 2024

22 Mar 2024

The PCC has submitted its initial comments to HE. President Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa for consideration by government. The submission was part of their public consultation process on the IRP 2023 by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy. Our response on the IRP builds on our April 2023 Electricity recommendations, the PCC recommends the following next steps, prior to the IRP’s re-release for further public consultation and consideration at NEDLAC: 1. Further analysis of other scenarios is required. At the very least a scenario to 2030 that more aggressively addresses load shedding is needed. This needs to be done in the context of different electricity demand forecasts, including demand scenarios aligned with NDP objectives. Without further analysis and scenarios that don’t constrain technology deployment the IRP2023 analysis cannot be used to make final decisions about a desired short- or long-term energy mix. 2. More detail on the proposed energy mix impact on cost relative to least cost options needs to be published. The DMRE need to release all the assumptions and results used in the modelling and to widen the breadth and duration of their consultations. 3. A review of the extent of the cost and emissions differences between the IRP2023 and the PCC review of benchmark studies needs to be undertaken. The lack of learning curves in the models, fixing 2021 costs for technologies that are evolving over the period of the study, disadvantages technologies whose prices are rapidly lowering – in particular solar PV and storage. 4. A detailed review of air quality and its impacts on technology choices is needed. As it stands the IRP will be subject to legal action. We reiterate that The IRP remains as electricity generation planning instrument, with major implications for our climate change response actions and our just transitions and in this regard , we the PCC will continue to engage with the DMRE and update its submission once the IRP has been republished.