Energy Minister Jeff Radebe says government has no intention of renegotiating the power purchase agreements (PPAs) for renewable-energy projects procured in 2011 and 2012, but has left the door open for a “refinancing” of the projects in the interest of lowering the cost of the plants to the consumer. Briefing the media in Pretoria on Sunday, Radebe also mounted a robust defence of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), which had been lauded globally, but also singled out by some local stakeholders as posing a major financial risk to Eskom.
