South Africa has officially launched the National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA), signalling a significant shift in the country’s approach to energy management.
The new entity, unveiled on Monday at a ceremony in Johannesburg, will operate as a subsidiary of state power utility Eskom and is tasked with managing electricity transmission across the nation.
Energy and Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, who delivered the keynote address at the launch, said the NTCSA would play a “pivotal role” in ensuring a more secure and reliable power supply.
The creation of the NTCSA represents the first concrete step in Eskom’s long-awaited unbundling into three separate entities – generation, distribution and transmission. This restructuring was initially announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his 2019 State of the Nation Address.
The move comes as South Africa grapples with an ongoing energy crisis, characterised by frequent power cuts known locally as “load shedding”. The government aims to add at least 11,000 megawatts of electricity from renewable sources to the national grid by 2027.
Energy experts suggest that the establishment of a separate transmission company could lead to improved efficiency and potentially attract much-needed investment in South Africa’s power infrastructure.
However, some critics argue that more comprehensive reforms are necessary to fully address the country’s energy challenges, which have hampered economic growth and frustrated citizens for years.
The government has not yet released details about the NTCSA’s operational structure or its specific mandates, nor has it provided a timeline for the completion of Eskom’s unbundling process.
As South Africa continues its efforts to stabilise its energy supply and transition towards more sustainable power sources, the performance of the NTCSA will be closely watched to see if it can deliver on its promises of improved electricity management and transmission.
