• The editor writes:
Well, well, well.
Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse …
Already living in fear and uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic and all the stress and concerns that go with it, Eskom has recently announced load-shedding again. Yes, again!
This not only throws a spanner, but the whole toolbox in the works.
I mean, if we ever go into another hard lockdown, which is not entirely impossible, most of us will be working from home. Many are already doing so. My point is, if we are at home due to the pandemic and we need to work from home we would not be able to, due to load-shedding.
What concerns me though is the high probability that we will have load-shedding going into winter, and worse, during winter and beyond.
Just two days ago, an article with the headline Load-shedding a ‘high probability’ for the next three months – analyst [https://www.citizen.co.za/randfontein-herald/lnn/1149461/load-shedding-a-high-probability-for-the-next-three-months-analyst/] was published on the Herald/ News website. The article starts by saying: A frustrating week of Stage 2 load-shedding for most of South Africa may last longer than expected. Citing an Eskom forecast, energy analyst Chris Yelland unpacked what Eskom called a ‘code red risk for load-shedding’. “It means they don’t have any so-called reserve generation capacity and any further loss of supply and generation units will result in load-shedding,” explained Yelland in an interview with eNCA over the weekend.
Yelland said further, “Eskom has indicated, and this comes from the Eskom website so this is Eskom’s forecast and not my forecast, is what they call ‘a high-risk probability of load-shedding, every week for the next three months’.” He added that this does not necessarily indicate that there will certainly be load-shedding every week for three months, but that intermittent load-shedding during the highlighted period was highly probable. According to Yelland, there are ways to get around this; however, South Africa would have to look to someone other than government to be able to supply that generation capacity in the next few years.
In another article with headline Eskom troubles deeper than out-of-commission units, says expert [https://www.citizen.co.za/randfontein-herald/lnn/1149523/eskom-troubles-deeper-than-out-of-commission-units-says-expert] Ted Blom, an independent energy analyst said there was more to Eskom’s latest load-shedding than a couple of out-of-commission generation units at the Kusile Power Station.
“The problems lie much deeper than that, starting at top management not being equipped to manage Eskom. This lack of leadership, combined with corruption and incompetence on many levels changed the power giant into a spectacular failure.”
What is your opinion about the current Covid-19 situation and Eskom curveball? Let us know by emailing randfonteinherald@caxton.co.za.
Read more about this and other local news below.
Also read: Expect just two hours of load-shedding at a time in parts of the West Rand
Editor over and out …
