South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi) CEO Dr Titus Mathe reports that consultations at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) on the latest draft of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for electricity are close to being concluded.

In a response to questions posed on the IRP during a briefing to the Portfolio Committee on Electricity and Energy on Sanedi’s strategic plan, Mathe deferred questions on when an updated IRP would be Gazetted to the Department of Electricity and Energy (DEE).

However, he confirmed that the two-month process of consultations with business, labour and community representatives at Nedlac was at its “tail-end” and should be concluded in the “next week or so”.

Thereafter, it is expected to enter the Cabinet Committee process before serving before Cabinet for final approval, with Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa having indicated recently that he expects Cabinet sign-off before the end of July.

“There is full support for the proposed IRP draft,” Mathe said in relation to the response of the Nedlac constituents to the document.

“Of course, they’ve got certain concerns [and] one of the concerns they have is that things are changing so rapidly that they would want to see this IRP being revised at least every two years, and we agree with that.

“We now have a very robust model that the technical teams have put together; that is well supported and accepted by everyone.

“The assumptions, however, that go into this IRP model, that’s where the debate is,” he added.

Several commentators have raised concerns over both the assumptions and the public consultation processes run by both the DEE, formed after last year’s elections, and its predecessor the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, which released the initial draft update, dubbed IRP 2023, in early 2024.

Following strong criticism of the document, Ramokogopa turned to Sanedi to rework the IRP technically and to consider comments received on the initial draft.

A revised document was published in December, following “targeted stakeholder engagements” in November.

The assumptions used in the revision, along with the outcomes, have again been criticised, as has the truncated consultation process.

Nevertheless, Ramokgopa has indicated that the Nedlac deliberations will be the final non-Cabinet step ahead of approval and Gazetting.