JOHANNESBURG | Gauteng Premier David Makhura has indicated the signing of the Power Purchase Agreement between the City of Johannesburg and Kelvin Power Station is a major step towards a reliable supply of power to residents.
The signing of the agreement, which was led by the Johannesburg Executive Mayor, Mpho Moerane, will see an increase in the supply of energy to City Power from 80 to 100 megawatts.
This increase will ensure that the electricity bought in bulk from Eskom allows the City’s electricity distributor, City Power, safe and reliable distribution of electricity to the residents of Johannesburg.
“I am happy that the City of Johannesburg has taken a concrete step to ensure that it enhances its capacity to guarantee the supply of energy to its residents,” said Premier Makhura.
Makhura urged Johannesburg residents to protect this distributive infrastructure as it services a basic need, the need for electricity to avoid untimely power outages.
This changeover does not take away the responsibility of payment of services rendered to Johannesburg residents. It is vital for the electricity provided to be paid for to keep the lights on in the City.
In addition, Makhura said the disruption of power supply has economic impact on businesses and has destroyed some businesses and undermined the position of the City of Johannesburg as the economic engine of the province.
“We urge all the metros in the province to continue to step up and ensure that roads are fixed and ensure reliable supply of water and uninterrupted supply of service delivery ,” said Makhura.