Minister of Energy and Power Kgosientho Ramokgopa warned South Africans that the blackouts are not over in the country yet. (Photo: Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
The government “remains optimistic” that Eskom's performance will improve, but South Africa is not yet out of the blackout crisis, Energy and Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said on Monday.
“I would like to strongly warn that the rolling blackouts are not over yet,” the minister said at a regular press conference on energy and electricity-related issues.
“In the next three weeks or so Eskom will be releasing their summer outlook and we remain optimistic about the performance of these plants,” he said.
“That being said, we would be careful about prematurely declaring the outages over. We are committed to resolving this issue, but the numbers show it is within reach.”
Much of the country has been without power for 137 days.
“Medupi 4 is expected to generate 800MW of electricity. [megawatts] “And we are also looking to commission another 800MW Kusile 6. We are also looking forward to a life extension for Koeberg 2,” Ramokgopa said.
“We are not satisfied. We have done everything by the book, followed all the rules and adhered to the documentation we submit to the national nuclear regulator. We remain optimistic about the life extension, which will give us an additional 980MW of power.”
The minister said he expected an additional 2,500MW of power to be added from Eskom alone by the end of August.
He specifically singled out Tutuka, Kendal and Curiel coal-fired power stations as “emerging stars”, noting a number of issues had been experienced at Tutuka.
“But now we're seeing results. In just this period from March to August, the rate of unplanned capacity loss was [UCLF] “It's down 29 per cent, which is a big change from when Thutuka started. They went from 2,411MW to 949MW,” Ramokgopa said.
“We had a big problem in Kendal with emissions exceeding the standards. [were] Numerous interventions were required. Today… [UCLF] “We started with 2,500MW and now we're at about 919MW. And of course, they continue to do a great job.”
Curiel has seen “exceptional results” with UCLF reductions falling by 53%, from 1,400MW to around 508MW.”
Ramokgopa credited the change in management at the three plants with changing the company's trajectory.
“The personnel issue is important and Eskom's management has taken it into consideration. Putting the most experienced, loyal and patriotic men at the helm of these stations has delivered the needed results,” he said.
Diesel fuel savings
The unplanned capacity loss rate in Eskom's fleet was about 10,508MW, down from 15,500MW in the same period last year.
“This is important and of course is reflected in the energy availability factor. [EAF]”At the same time last year it was 55.32 percent and now it has risen to 63.22 percent,” Ramokgopa noted.
“From August 5 to today, the EAF is at 67 percent, which is a huge improvement. I want to tell the public that we are on the right path. We have always believed in this strategy, which is planned and well-thought-out, and we are seeing results like we are seeing now.”
The minister added that improved energy availability has meant less reliance on open cycle gas turbines and less diesel burning. Since the start of the financial year, diesel fuel use has fallen by 73%, resulting in savings of about R9.6 billion compared to the same period last year, the minister said.
“The more you improve your generation performance, the more that will be reflected in your tariff increases, because if your generation is heavily reliant on expensive generation methods, then that should be reflected in your tariff.”
“If I can show it to Nersa [National Energy Regulator of South Africa]I rely on diesel fuel and that is why I am calling for the next tariff increase, which will place a huge burden on users in this country.
“We are [open cycle gas turbines] The way it should be, that is, the plant is about to reach its peak. [online] Just what you need, when you need it,” he said.
Ramokgopa said the department was doing all it could to ensure that the “new phenomenon” of load shedding was addressed, and that urgent action was needed, particularly as it concerned municipalities and Eskom.
“We partnered with Sarga to [South African Local Government Association] “We are working with Sarga to see how best to protect the municipality's interests and Eskom's interests,” Ramokgopa said.
In total, municipalities owe Eskom about R78 billion, and various categories of customers, including households, businesses and government, owe municipalities about R349 billion.
“We need a solution that not only addresses all these issues, but also ensures that when shedding events occur, the collateral damage is minimised as much as possible,” he said.
The minister clarified that this collateral damage refers to “very compliant and hardworking customers who pay their monthly bills on time” who will also be affected by load shedding.
“It's also important to protect poor households, those who really can't afford it due to financial constraints. Of course, they don't have the means or the ability to pay their monthly bills,” he said.
Ramokgopa said the provision of free basic electricity was “fatally flawed”.
“There are about 10 million households in the country who are eligible for free basic electricity supply, but as a result of challenges on the part of local governments, we know that only 2 million households are receiving free basic electricity supply.”
This has mainly to do with the rate at which municipalities register the poor to benefit from free basic electricity, he said. “But municipalities are receiving this subsidy. It is important that we are able to solve this problem to protect the poor.”
The minister added that utility costs make up a large part of household expenditure in the country, “so we are addressing this issue to ensure that over eight million households who are entitled to free basic electricity are not getting it and that municipalities and Eskom are also not able to benefit from this subsidy.”
He noted that electricity prices have risen by about 400 percent over the past decade, making it important to find “innovative solutions to address this issue.”
Middle-income households are also under severe pressure, and “it's important that we can provide relief to all households across the board, not just the poor,” he said.
The ministry wants to achieve two things with its electricity tariff policy: “First, to ensure that electricity tariffs are affordable for low-income households, and second, to ensure that costs are reasonable for all customers,” he said.
