New state-owned transmission company launches with plans to invest R112 billion over five years

Stephen Grootes speaks to Priscillah Mabelane, chairperson of the National Transmission Company South Africa.

Listen to the interview in the audio player below.

The National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) officially launched on Monday, marking a significant step towards electricity market structure reform in the country.

The NTCSA, which will transmit electricity across the country, is a separate, distinct, and wholly owned subsidiary of Eskom, and forms part of the Department of Energy's (DPE) Roadmap towards a reformed electricity supply industry.

Eskom’s legal separation into three distinct entities, generation, distribution, and transmission is aligned with its turnaround plan and the DPE Roadmap.

The NTCSA will own and operate the country’s national transmission system, the system operator, the grid strengthening function, energy market services and the International Trader.

The NTCSA plans to invest R112 billion over a five year period as part of Eskom's turnaround plan.

Government is hoping this will act as a catalyst for much-needed improvements and upgrades within the national electricity transmission infrastructure.

Speaking to Stephen Grootes on The Money Show, Priscillah Mabelane, chairperson of the National Transmission Company South Africa says this will hopefully also enhance efficiency and promote transparency within the electricity market. 

"...The role of the NTCSA, one of our fundamental roles going forward is to ensure that we can connect as much as possible, the new power generation. We're envisaging 33 GW going forward."

- Priscillah Mabelane, chairperson NTCSA

"...Once we have competition on the system, the cost of electricity will come down significantly."

- Priscillah Mabelane, chairperson NTCSA

"We have prioritised R112 billion over the next 5 years. That will enable us to at least unlock closer to 11GW of connection."

- Priscillah Mabelane, chairperson NTCSA

Scroll to the top of the article to listen to the full interview.