Deputy Speaker, my firm belief is that independent power producers will come in when they believe that, firstly, there is a market for their product; and, secondly, that they will be able to secure a purchase agreement for their energy that covers their operational and other costs. Until such time that that power-purchase agreement is able to be sealed, the coming in of independent power producers will always be prohibited.
That is why this debate about the cost of our electricity and the costs that we are requiring Eskom to pay to purchase power from independent power producers, which costs are way above what they are selling that power for, becomes a critical strategic issue. Thank you.
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