Committee agrees in principle to inquiry into power procurement deals

Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy has agreed in principle to the terms of reference for an inquiry into the awarding of energy contracts related to the procurement of energy through the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Purchase Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP).

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At least 11 companies were announced this year as successful bidders for the programme which sought to procure about 2000MW of energy to immediately plug a gap in the country’s electricity supply system.

The inquiry will look into allegations of corruption and malfeasance during the selection of the preferred bidders. The allegations are also subject to litigation in the Pretoria High Court where a losing bidder has taken the Department of Mineral Resources Energy to court after the announcement of the preferred bidders.

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The inquiry is expected to be held in the first quarter of 2022 over a period of about four months.

Committee chairperson Sahlulele Luzipo said witnesses will be called to give their version of events during the inquiry.

“Although the committee will make the inquiry convenient for people who need to participate, we may still have to subpoena those who refuse to cooperate,” Luzipo said earlier this week.