In the paper, engineer Andrew Kenny said Eskom was still facing a massive 18 000 megawatt (MW) shortfall. In his analysis published in @Liberty, the policy bulletin of the IRR, Kenny said the country’s precarious electricity supply was a national crisis which is crippling the economy.
He said, “The new coal-fired power stations at Medupi and Kusile… are years behind schedule. Moreover, even when they and [Ingulaa pumped storage scheme] are fully on stream, we will still not have enough electricity to power even modest economic growth.”
Kenny said if the economy grows at a conservative rate of three percent of gross domestic products a year, by 2030 the country will need another 18 000 megawatts, equivalent to four Kusiles or eight more Koebergs.
“In the meantime, several of our existing coal stations – built in the 1970s with an expected 40-year life span – are being run into the ground and will need to be replaced by 2030, if not before,” he said.
According to Kenny, there are no quick solutions to the crisis but there are ‘clear ways out of it’.
He suggested vital steps that could be taken, namely, Eskom must be depoliticised and must resume its earlier function of providing sufficient, reliable electricity at a price that covers costs. Eskom’s transmission system must be taken from it and given to an ‘independent system and market operator’, and there should be free trade.
Kenny said, “Anyone who wants to must be able to generate and sell electricity into the grid on a strictly commercial basis. Electricity distribution should be taken away from municipalities and given to private electrical engineering companies that would compete with one another in efficiency and cost.”
He also emphasised that energy sources for future electricity supply must be chosen on scientific and commercial grounds that are in the best interests of mankind and the environment.
“Above all, Eskom must return to being what it was before, an independent engineering company whose sole duty is to provide reliable electricity, and that appoints its managers, engineers and technicians purely on qualifications and experience, not skin colour or political affiliations,” Kenny emphasised.
Details: @Liberty, a product of the IRR 22 No 2/2015 / 18 March 2015 / Issue 18
