Vodacom and Eskom signed a Virtual Wheeling agreement today, aiming to alleviate South Africa’s energy crisis.
This innovation aligns with Vodacom’s goal of sourcing all electricity from renewables by 2025. This agreement allows Vodacom to proceed with the next phase: securing Independent Power Producers (IPPs) under similar terms as with Eskom.
Vodacom’s CEO, Shameel Joosub, emphasizes the transformative potential of this solution for the private sector in addressing the energy crisis and ending load shedding. “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.”
Traditional methods faced limitations due to Vodacom’s complex operational landscape. The virtual wheeling solution, following a successful pilot, is now accessible, aiding grid stability and emissions reduction.
This approach aligns with Vodacom’s ambition to shift 30% of power demand to renewables, facilitating a greener future.
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 the Vodacom subsidiary, Mezzanine.