Page 6 - AfrElec Week 38 2022

AfrElec ESKOM AfrElec

Eskom seeks urgent

1,000MW from IPPs

SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH Africa’s struggling state power utility amount spent year-to-date.
Eskom has confirmed that the country will see a Eskom’s executives on Sunday acknowledged
high level of power cuts in the coming days due that there was a risk currently that even Stage 6
to a breakdown of generating units at several could be breached for the first time, owing to the
power stations, SABC News reports. unpredictability of the fleet. Nevertheless, they
Eskom chief executive André de Ruyter says dismissed suggestions that the country would
the utility will be approaching the markets to regress towards a total blackout.
procure “whatever megawatts are available on Currently, the load-shedding schedule caters
an urgent basis”, with the aim to access about for up to Stage 8, or 8,000MW of rotational cuts,
1,000MW from existing independent power according to Mining Weekly. After that, the Sys-
producers (IPPs), such as Sasol and Sappi, and tem Operator would have to issue directives to
hopes to have it online within two weeks. municipalities for even higher cuts to avoid sys-
De Ruyter was speaking at an emergency tem collapse, from which it would take weeks to
media briefing on September 18, after the utility recover.
announced stage six load-shedding the previous Over the last week more than 45 units have
evening. tripped, while 42 units tripped in the previ-
Load-shedding is a controlled process of rota- ous week, precipitating the current round of
tional power cuts that the utility implements to load-shedding, writes Mining Weekly. Even so,
protect the electricity power system from a total Oberholzer said Eskom had a sufficiently experi-
blackout. Stage six allows for up to 6,000MW of enced and competent executive and operational
the national load to be shed. teams and all hands were on deck to ensure the
De Ruyter said that the system had been successful return of all units.
under pressure over the past week, forcing Head of Solidarity’s Research Institute Con-
Eskom to run on diesel and dam reserves. For nie Mulder does not agree: “Eskom’s problems
the year-to-date, Eskom has spent more than are due to a skills shortage. It doesn’t help that
ZAR7.7bn ($430mn) to buy diesel and has a we haven’t got a lot of people knowing what to
remaining budget for the year to March of only do in this crisis,” Mulder said as quoted by SABC
about ZAR500mn, reports Mining Weekly. News. “But we, as a country, need an alternative
However, COO Jan Oberholzer indicated solution and we need to start moving away from
that, given the state of the coal fleet, he expected Eskom and start privatising generation,” she
Eskom’s expenditure on diesel for the remainder added.™
of the financial year to probably double from the

P6 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 38 22•September•2022