President Jacob Zuma has confirmed that the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP) is still part of government policy.

“The presidency wishes to clarify that all the Independent Power Producer (IPP) Programmes, namely renewable energy, coal and gas and any other determinations made by the Minister of Energy are and remain government policy and are supported by the presidency,” the presidency said in a statement.

Earlier this year, Eskom came under criticism after its board took the decision not to sign any further IPP agreements after the current round was finalised.

Eskom said that there was no need for new IPPs because the power grid is now stable, but reported that it was in talks with the Department of Energy regarding the future of the IPP programme.

According to the statement, government remains fully behind the IPP Programme and “the confusing signals caused by the unfortunate public utterances are regretted.”