“The government has also created a regulatory environment that is conducive to opening up the market for alternative power generation,” Mabuza told MPs in the National Council of Provinces on Thursday.

“For instance, regulatory authorities have relaxed the licencing threshold for generation projects from 1 MW to 100 MW. This means that power plants with a capacity of less than 100 MW can supply electricity to a wide range of users, like businesses and homes.”

Mabuza was answering questions on Eskom on Thursday.

He said the government will consider other measures to complete this process.

“The government is also considering various changes that will speed up the acquisition of independent power producers and reduce further red tape. When all the necessary tasks have been done, an announcement will be made about this.”

Eskom said on Thursday evening that load-shedding stage 3 will continue until further notice.

ECR