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Twenty-year Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity
Stakeholder engagement process |
by Chris Yelland, EE Publishers (follow EE Publishers on Twitter)
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There has been some criticism of the lack transparency and inadequate time allowed for effective stakeholder engagement in the 20-year Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity (IRP 2) currently under development by the Department of Energy (DoE) in South Africa (Energize, May 2010, page 15). Many stakeholders and interested parties may wish to be involved but may not be aware of the stakeholder engagement process currently in progress, of the DoE website at www.doe-irp.co.za where information and documentation on the process may be obtained, and of the tight time-lines involved... (more)
IRP 2 will look at the electricity demand forecast for the next twenty years, and will determine exactly how this demand will be met. It will set the generation technologies to be used and the planned mix of primary energy options over this period, such as the mix between coal, hydro, nuclear, wind, solar, etc. It will also set the planned mix between Eskom generation, industrial co-generation and independent power production, as well as self-generation and wheeling for large mining and industrial customers. It will also consider the necessary transmission and distribution infrastructure required to deliver the electricity generated to Eskom distributors, municipal distributors and end-customers.
As such, IRP 2 will be critical to identify and indicate the necessary electricity supply industry structure and the enabling legal and regulatory environment required to meet and implement the plan and secure security of electricity supply to South Africa. It will also enable the necessary short, medium and long term investment, funding and business plans to be developed to give effect to the plan.
IRP 2 is therefore an extremely important country plan that requires significant stakeholder input from central and local government, civil society, mining, industrial, commercial, business and consumer stakeholders in order to achieve the necessary legitimacy and credibility.
The stakeholder engagement process has commenced. A task team has been set up (Energize, May 2010 issue, page 15) which has identified a total of 29 so-called Draft Input Parameters. For each of these parameters the Task Team has prepared an associated fact sheet, which describes to stakeholders the nature, impact, value, range of values and other pertinent information on the parameter and its importance to the final IRP 2.
These input parameters are critical because they propose specific values for important variables to be used in the mechanistic modelling process for the determination of the optimal, least-cost, Integrated Resource Plan, including the, the primary energy mix, the technology mix, and the mix of generation between Eskom and non-Eskom generators, etc.
These proposed Draft Input Parameter fact sheets are provided for comment and response to the stakeholders to ensure effective participation in the IRP consultation process. The fact sheets are provided as a tool to guide the provision of comments in the first stage of consultation (core assumptions and inputs to the IRP). The DoE may release additional fact sheets if information comes to light or further assumptions are defined during this process. Range values are provided merely to guide the stakeholders and do not represent any fixed decision by government. Stakeholders are encouraged to provide alternative figures supported by relevant studies and information. Stakeholders may provide input into one or more of the Draft Input Parameter fact sheets.
The first stage of consultation will be comment on the values of these parameters. The formal closing date for initial stakeholder responses to the values proposed in the IRP 2 Draft Input Parameter sheets by email to irp2010@mweb.co.za or via the website at www.doe-irp.co.za has been extended by a week until 30 May 2010.
The DoE will then be hosting a one-day Stakeholder Plenary Session on the IRP 2 Draft Input Parameter sheets on 7 June 2010 at a venue to be advised in due course.
Stakeholders wanting to present at the Plenary Session may apply to the DoE by email to irp2010@mweb.co.za by 30 May 2010 for allocation of a 15-minute speaking slot, where they can make comments and responses in a presentation with up to ten PowerPoint slides. After allocation of a presentation slot, the presentation itself should then be emailed to irp2010@mweb.co.za by 08h00 on 2 June 2010.
In order to further consider the discussions held at the plenary session, the deadline for final comments on the Draft Input Parameter sheets has since been finally extended to 11 June 2010. Once agreement has been reached on the Input Parameter value, these will then be used in the IRP 2 modelling process.
Consultation on the Draft Parameter Sheets is only the first phase of the consultation process, which process also includes, at the appropriate stage, the public participation process. The stakeholder and public engagement programme for the promulgation of the IRP 2 process is currently set as follows:
- Comments by email or website on the IRP 2 Draft Input Parameter sheets - 30 May 2010
- Stakeholder Plenary Session on the IRP 2 Draft Input Parameter sheets - 7 June 2010
- Final stakeholder comments following the Stakeholder Plenary Session - 11 June 2010
- Public consultation on the IRP 2 Draft Input Parameter sheets - to be advised
- Public hearing on the first draft IRP 2 - to be advised
- IRP 2 gazetted for public participation - to be advised
- Public hearings on IRP 2 in accordance with public participation processes - to be advised
- Promulgation of IRP 2 - to be advised
Full documentation on the stakeholder engagement programme can be found and downloaded from the website at www.doe-irp.co.za - Stakeholder information pack - for information
- Proposed IRP 2 planning process - for comments
- Draft IRP 2 for electricity - for illustrative purposes only
- Draft Input Parameter fact sheets (29 off) - for comments
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