Page 11 - AfrElec Week 50 2022

AfrElec POLICY AfrElec

SA to add self-generated power to

monthly electricity data

UGANDA SOUTH Africa’s statistics agency (Stats SA) is manufacturing output in September, despite the
considering adding self-generated power to worst month on record of power outages known
its monthly electricity generation data as more locally as load shedding, suggests companies
households and businesses reduce their reliance may be relying more on alternative sources of
on the struggling state-owned power utility power supply during blackouts.
Eskom, Bloomberg reports. A better-than-expected Q3 economic growth
The inclusion of such data would broaden of 1.6%, compared with a contraction of 0.7% in
a key indicator used by economists to compile the prior three-month period, may also indi-
estimates of gross domestic product (GDP) cate that industries are using alternative energy
reflecting the market’s dynamics where consum- sources, the news agency writes.
ers are being forced to find alternative sources “Economic activity was reasonably firm in
of energy as Eskom struggles to meet demand. electricity-intensive sectors during peak load
“We actually need to find a smarter way to shedding months, indicating a higher level of
measure the electricity that’s self-generated, back-up usage and alternative sources of energy
because at the moment our monthly survey coming onstream,” said Sanisha Packirisamy, an
covers Eskom mostly and there’s about 20 other economist at Momentum Investments.
smaller power stations,” Joe de Beer, deputy “That together with a structural decline in
director-general of economic statistics at Stats energy intensity in South Africa can explain the
SA, said in an interview in Pretoria. difference,” she added as quoted by Bloomberg.
De Beer said the agency currently doesn’t The South African Reserve Bank (SARB)
measure how much power is generated by shop- said in November that record power outages
ping centres, big mines and manufacturers using meant the economy was only likely to expand
solar plants, writes Bloomberg. As for the general by 0.1% in the final quarter of 2022. According
public, an income and expenditure survey initi- to SARB’s prediction, GDP growth will slow to
ated last month may provide more insight into 1.1% in 2023 from 1.8% this year and increased
what households are doing, he noted. power rationing will shave 0.6 percentage points
Peter Worthington, a senior economist off output.™
at Absa Bank, is cited as saying that a surge in

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