Page 14 - AfrElec Week 27 2021

AfrElec NEWS IN BRIEF AfrElec

ESKOM the use of fuel oil increased significantly as COAL
well,” the application read.
Power cuts force Eskom to Another derailment leaves

use more fuel oil Eskom short of cash for SA’s Transnet coal line

Eskom used 130% more fuel oil than repairs partially shut
anticipated for coal-fired power stations
during the 2020 financial year. Eskom does not have enough money to repair Transnet’s coal export line has suffered
According to its Regulatory Clearing or refurbish sixteen of its 99 coal generation another devastating derailment, further
Account (RCA) Year 1 application to the units, City Press reported. frustrating coal producers who have for
National Energy Regulator of South Africa As a result, these generation units — with months suffered the adverse effects of ongoing
(Nersa), submitted on 11 December 2020, a combined generating capacity of 2,635 logistics issues.
Eskom’s start-up fuel oil costs account for megawatts — are not used. Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) told South
about a quarter of the ZAR8.4bn it seeks to This is enough power to prevent two or Africa’s Business Day that it had experienced
claw back. three load shedding stages and is more than an incident in the early hours of Saturday
The RCA application is a mechanism the 2,000MW South Africa aimed to procure when a coal train pulling 200 wagons on its
Eskom uses to retrospectively adjust for with its emergency power tender — including way to Richards Bay Coal Terminal derailed,
an over or under-recovery in revenue for a the torpedoed Karpowership deal. affecting 31 wagons.
particular year, due to actual events differing Eskom said that when its older power Videos and photos seen by Business Day
from assumptions made by Nersa when station units reach a point where large show many derailed wagons overturned down
granting a tariff. In this application, Eskom expenses are needed to service a turbine or an embankment with heaps of coal on the
is seeking to recover revenue due to sales generator, an evaluation is done to decide if ground.
volumes determined by Nersa which did not funding for the repair is approved or whether TFR spokesperson Jane Moshoeshoe said
materialise. A decision by the regulator is due the unit is put into reserve storage. there were no fatalities or injuries to the train
in August, Fin24 previously reported. The utility said that fourteen generating crew or external parties. Investigations into
The application also accounts for variances units across its Hendrina, Grootvlei and the cause of the derailment were continuing.
in assumptions made of primary energy costs. Komati power stations are mothballed in this One of the affected lines reopened on
The major driver of primary energy costs was way. Sunday and is running trains. Work is still
breakdowns at its power stations. One unit each at Duvha and Hendrina is under way to clear the other line before repair
Heavy fuel oil is used to start up and offline due to breakdowns that Eskom has work can commence, she said.
shutdown coal fired power stations. The decided would be too expensive to repair. The line, which transports coal from SA’s
number of starts required depends on the The units are not permanently coalfields down to the Richards Bay Coal
number of outages - either planned or decommissioned, Eskom said. If Terminal, has suffered its share of disruptions.
unplanned - and the number of trips at the circumstances change and it is decided to In April a derailment on the line affected
units of a station, Eskom explained. return them to service, these units could still product movement for nine days.
Start-up fuel-oil contributed ZAR2.2bn to operate within a relatively short lead-time. Coal exporters such as JSE-listed Exxaro
the RCA, the application showed. According to the City Press, de- Resources have grown increasingly frustrated
“The number of unplanned outages and mothballing plants placed in reserve storage with the logistics issues which cause them to
trips were significantly higher in the FY2020 can happen within a year or so, though the losebns of rand through being unable to take
than what was anticipated at the time of the cost of repairs and amount of time needed full advantage of booming export coal prices.
2020 application and determination. Hence varies between units. While operational capacity is one part of
the problem, theft and vandalism is another.
Transnet CEO Portia Derby last month said
cable theft was disrupting 30% of TFR’s rail
network every week, affecting exports such as
bulk products and metals. Domestic markets
are also suffering the effects of the troubled
rail system as customers are forced to truck
in product that would otherwise have been
delivered by rail.

SOL AR
Zimbabwe to open seven

solar plants in 2021

Seven solar photovoltaic power plants
will enter into commercial operation in
Zimbabwe, by the end of 2021. The Zimbabwe
Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) said it

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