Blackouts the right thing to do – Eskom CEO
IOL – Johannesburg – Scheduled blackouts were the “right thing” to do, Eskom CEO Tshediso Matona said on Thursday.
“We have arrived at a turning point where can either continue to do the same things of the past… or we can do the right thing… to get us out of this difficult situation,” he told reporters in Johannesburg.
Blackouts were necessary to allow Eskom to catch up with the maintenance of its generating units.
Eskom – System Status
Eskom – Introduction On December 9 we said the following …
• We apologised to the nation for the inconvenience of the past few weeks due to load shedding.
• We communicated that for an extended period the power system is extremely constrained and vulnerable.
• With the system being tight, any abnormal event pushes us into load shedding.
• With the reserve margin being low , we do not have enough capacity to meet demand , necessitating planned, controlled and rotational load shedding, to protect the power system from a total country – wide blackout.
http://www.eskom.co.za/news/Documents/20150115CE_SystemStatusPresent.pdf
Solar power to reach its zenith
Mail & Guardian – Eskom may be unable to avert an energy crisis, but South African households and businesses can generate power on their rooftops at a cost per kilowatt that rivals that of megaprojects such as Medupi or Kusile, without subsidies or incentives.
The cost of rooftop solar photovoltaic systems to power residential and commercial buildings has dropped over recent years to reach parity with domestic and commercial tariffs.
According to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), residential-sized photovoltaic systems are already a cost-competitive alternative to other new-build options, coming in at an estimated 81 cents a kilowatt hour (kWh) versus 80 cents at Medupi or Kusile. This solar power cost includes financing at an interest rate of 9%.
http://mg.co.za/article/2015-01-15-sun-power-to-reach-its-zenith
At the heart of Eskom’s darkness
Mail & Guardian – There will be load shedding even if it may cost the ANC votes.
This is the expressed attitude of Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown, who remains resolute about fixing the problems plaguing power utility Eskom for the long term, even if it means doing the unpopular thing.
But this approach has drawn resistance from Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson, who is apparently accused of “overstepping her turf”.
http://mg.co.za/article/2015-01-15-at-the-heart-of-eskoms-darkness
SA Government to help power utility
The South African government will help raise cash to fund utility Eskom’s purchases of diesel from February, when the power utility is expected to run out of money to purchase the fuel used to prevent blackouts.
Cabinet announced this week that Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will oversee the turnaround plans of Eskom, as well as South African Airways (SAA) and the South African Post Office (SAPO).
Link: http://www.moneyweb.co.za/moneyweb-south-africa/government-to-help-eskom-raise-cash-to-curb-power
Renewable Energy’s Ticking Time Bomb?
Solar panels and wind turbines are rapidly becoming competitive with conventional electric generating technologies like natural gas and coal.
At least that is what many of Wall Street’s most esteemed investment firms seem to be telling anyone willing to listen to them.
Eskom signs coal supply deal with Anglo’s Inyosi Coal
Power utility Eskom said on Friday it had signed a coal supply deal with Anglo American’s black empowerment company Inyosi Coal to have the commodity delivered from the New Largo project to Kusile power station.
The memorandum of understanding signed last week will see Inyosi supply coal to Kusile, which is currently under construction in the Mpumalanga province, according to a statement from Eskom.
Europe urged to back cogeneration for industrial renaissance
The European Association for the Promotion of Cogeneration (COGEN Europe) says increasing the combined heat and power (CHP or cogeneration) in European industries could lead to an improvement in companies’ competitiveness and drive an economic recovery through industry.
“Instead of simply using energy to produce heat, an industry can use cogeneration on site to gain greater control over its energy costs, boost productivity, and demonstrably reduce its carbon footprint”, the paper says.
Eskom fund plan needs higher SA power rates, Moody’s says
MoneyWeb – “The effect of the proposed measures on Eskom’s credit metrics would be marginal.”
Eskom will need to raise tariffs to supplement South African government plans to provide R20 billion of funding for the state-owned power producer, Moody’s said.
“The proposed equity injection would provide much needed liquidity and ease the short-term funding pressure on Eskom,” analysts at the New York-based credit-rating company including Paul Marty wrote in a note yesterday. “The effect of the proposed measures on Eskom’s credit metrics would be marginal.”
