The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) – which is already tackling Eskom over its requirements to register photovoltaic systems – has now turned its sights on City Power for what it says is unnecessary red tape.
City Power has hit back, rejecting OUTA’s claims of its registration process introducing “avoidable costs, significant delays and additional administrative burdens”.
OUTA, a public advocacy group, claims the utility’s “new” six-step process for small-scale energy generation (SSEG) systems – solar installations – requires pre-approval and registration of solar systems.
This is in addition to approvals and inspections both before and after installation, even where installations are completed by qualified electricians and supported by a valid Certificate of Compliance.
“OUTA believes these requirements go beyond what is reasonable or necessary,” it says.
However, City Power tells ITWeb that OUTA’s statement is inaccurate as “the registration steps remain unchanged and are the same as those published on the City Power website”.
It adds there are no registration fees associated with registering an SSEG system with City Power, and no inspections are done by City Power before installation.
Step one, two, three, four
The utility’s process outlines eight stages: securing a notification number, submitting documents, a grid impact study for units larger than 350kVA – sufficient to power a commercial building – installation using a registered installer after approval, testing and commissioning, submitting a Certificate of Compliance and PV commissioning form, and then a final approval letter.
City Power says the only actual change is the enforcement of two existing requirements: that a valid Certificate of Compliance must be submitted together with proof of contractor registration with the Department of Labour, and that applicants may not sign documentation on behalf of an Engineering Council of South Africa-registered person or wireman’s licence holder.
The utility emphasises that “the requirements are not intended to create unnecessary administrative burdens, but to ensure the safe, compliant and reliable integration of solar PV systems into the city’s electricity network”.
“Authorities should stop imposing processes that place unnecessary burdens on society,” says Wayne Duvenage, OUTA CEO. “South Africans are investing their own money, within national safety compliance regulations, to keep the lights on. Adding layers of red tape only makes this harder.”
‘Ongoing challenges’
City Power has been implementing a programme of planned power outages to maintain infrastructure in several areas.
It recently informed residents in a street in Alexandra – one of the oldest and most densely populated townships in South Africa – that it would turn power off to “address ongoing challenges affecting the network,” including cable theft and damage to underground cables.
“To improve the reliability and security of electricity supply in the area, work will be undertaken to relocate sections of the network from underground cables to overhead lines,” it said.
City Power says it “understands the inconvenience this interruption may cause and encourages customers to prepare accordingly,” and that it seeks to balance the “promotion of renewable energy adoption with the responsibility to maintain a safe and stable electricity network for all residents”.
Progress and backlogs
So far, City Power has successfully registered 693 commercial customers and 586 residential customers who have voluntarily come forward.
It adds that it is engaging with industry stakeholders, including the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association, and “remains committed to ongoing collaboration to refine processes while ensuring that safety and compliance are not compromised”.
On Monday, ITWeb reported that the association and City Power have begun high-level engagements aimed at unblocking stalled solar registrations and stabilising the distributed energy landscape in Johannesburg.
City Power this morning sent ITWeb a statement saying there is no backlog on its side with respect to the registration of SSEG systems. Instead, it says “the backlog lies on the installer side”.
This, it says, is because submissions have not complied with the terms and conditions of the regulations, or installations do not meet the required technical and regulatory standards.
“These applications cannot be approved until all requirements are met, in line with national regulations and safety protocols.”
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