The South African Ministers of Planning and Electricity met with the Mozambican Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy to look for supply options to solve the electricity shortage facing South Africa.

"We have a shortfall of 6,000 megawatts [MW] of energy and we would like to explore all the options that are within Mozambique's reach," said Maropene Ramokgopa, Minister in the Presidency for Planning, and Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, who is in charge of Electricity, quoted in a statement from the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME).

"Every megawatt that becomes available will make an important contribution to reducing the deficit that has affected our country and which has been the cause of blackouts, seriously affecting our economy," said Maropene during the talks.

For his part, the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Carlos Zacarias, "assured Mozambique's willingness to work together with South Africa, promising to evaluate short-term solutions".

"We are certain that Mozambique and South Africa can take the regional energy sector to the next level by exploiting the potential and strengthening the interconnection infrastructures," said Carlos Zacarias, quoted by Lusa.

To this end, the parties will meet again in June to assess all the possibilities for cooperation.

It should be remembered that South Africa is already the main buyer of the installed capacity of the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric Power Station, in central Mozambique, the largest producing reservoir in southern Africa (2075 MW), under a power purchase agreement that runs until 2029.