In response to the pressing needs of South Africa’s digital economy, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) is currently deliberating a potential regulatory relief amidst the challenges of load shedding. This initiative holds particular significance for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, a cornerstone of the nation’s digital infrastructure and economic progress.
A plan to conduct a survey on the impact of load-shedding on the ICT sector has been met with enthusiasm by telecom giants who say they won’t hold back on their horror stories, reports Sunday Times.
In recent years, mobile operators, notably MTN and Vodacom, have invested billions of rands to guarantee network availability amid load shedding. This proactive investment is essential as the demand for data surges during blackouts.
The survey is expected to be followed by an inquiry and possibly new regulations aimed at easing the burden of laodshedding.
“While MTN has taken steps to increase security and modernise and replace power infrastructure, the continued load-shedding does decrease the life expectancy of power equipment like batteries,” said MTN South Africa’s chief of sustainability and corporate affairs, Jacqui O’Sullivan.
MTN SA is moving fast to become a standalone Independent Power Producer (IPP) by harnessing the power of multiple generation technologies, which will include additional solar, gas and battery energy systems, in one plant at its head office in Fairlands, Johannesburg.
The plant will be a first in South Africa with five different generation technologies being housed in one plant, with a full load of 4.5MW during load shedding. MTN SA’s head office hybrid facility currently has a 2MW gas trigeneration system, a 330kW Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Plant and a fleet of backup diesel generators.
MTN SA now intends adding a 4MW Grid Tie Solar System (5MWp) and a 2MW/6MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to the existing plant. Phase 2 of the project will see a further increase in solar and battery energy with the potential opportunity to feed energy back to the power grid.
This, in turn, will drastically reduce MTN’s carbon emissions footprint. MTN’s intention is to align with the Paris Agreement scenario of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, MTN has set out to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2040, 10 years earlier than the objective set by the GSMA global telecoms industry body.
By embracing clean embedded generation technology MTN will be able to go off the grid and help accelerate SA’s move to a better future. As an IPP, MTN will be able to assist the City of Johannesburg to generate power in peak periods and help, in some measure, to alleviate South Africa’s energy crunch.
A Vodacom spokesperson said the cellphone network hoped the inquiry would help the authority understand the adverse imapct load shedding has on the performance of the network.
The future of virtual wheeling is looking bright, with a number of parties from across industries already showing commercial interest in the solution enabled by Vodacom subsidiary, Mezzanine.
In a first of its kind in South Africa, Vodacom signed a Virtual Wheeling agreement with Eskom earlier today that will help accelerate efforts to solve the country’s energy crisis. In addition to adding capacity to the nation’s power grid, this agreement – a Vodacom innovation which has been co-developed with Eskom – will also play a significant role in moving Vodacom closer to its goal of sourcing 100% of its electricity demand from renewable energy sources by 2025.
This agreement will now enable Vodacom to execute the next phase of this innovative solution – securing Independent Power Producers (IPPs) under the same terms and conditions which underpin its agreement with Eskom.
Vodacom Group CEO, Shameel Joosub said, “Vodacom’s partnership with Eskom is transformational in that our virtual wheeling solution will enable South Africa’s private sector to participate in resolving the energy crisis which continues to impact the country’s economy. It also provides a blueprint for other South African corporates to adopt, as we pool our collective resources with the common objective of bringing an end to load shedding. The virtual wheeling solution has the potential to be fast-tracked, depending on the available licensed capacity of IPPs.”
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