Pretoria - Lights are set to remain twinkling in South African homes - and businesses - this festive season and well into the new year, after Eskom confirmed no load shedding would be taking place.
Adding to this piece of good news is reports that Tshwane is to generate and contribute almost 1000 megawatts to the national grid when it leases its two power stations early next year.
Consumers and businesses - often on the receiving end of blackouts - are sure to welcome the news.
Eskom chief Brian Molefe confirmed that for the foreseeable future, South Africa would not experience load shedding after a run of 50 consecutive days without scheduled outages. He said this was despite extensive maintenance being conducted at several plants, with more scheduled for the upcoming holiday season.
“Until April 30 (next year), we do not anticipate load shedding.”
Molefe was addressing the portfolio committee on Eskom’s financial results for 2014/15, which saw the struggling entity achieve net earnings of R25.2 billion. Eskom executives said it had raised external funding of R49.5bn last year, which, along with an exceptional allocation of R23bn from government, would assist in closing the funding gap and easing liquidity pressures.
Adding to the debate on nuclear power, Molefe said it was both urgent and feasible for South Africa to obtain more nuclear plants. '”We think that a nuclear programme is feasible in South Africa because nuclear plants typically have a life of beyond 60 years and the payback period, irrespective of what the amount is, typically is about 20 years,” he told Parliament’s portfolio committee on public enterprises.
Molefe was responding to questions from MPs about government’s plans to procure additional nuclear energy capacity to add a projected 9 600 megawatts to the country’s electricity grid by 2030.
In Tshwane the city disclosed on Wednesday it would eventually lease the two coal-fired power stations, Rooiwal and Pretoria West, to a private company by March next year.
The deal was expected to have been signed and sealed by now, but the city missed its original deadline to appoint the successful bidder, which was September.
Mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa said in May the city had shortlisted a number of companies as part of the two-stage procurement process and was confident that the successful bidder(s) would be appointed by September.
According to the mayor, the power stations have a potential capacity of generating almost 1 000 megawatts -enough to prevent a stage three load shedding - and were aligned to the city’s commitment of creating an inclusive, sustainable and resilient capital city.
City spokesman Lindela Mashigo said the two-fold process included tendering, which had already been completed and would culminate in the appointment of the winning bidder next year. He said the city had gone out on open tender to request proposals for the leasing and refurbishment of the two power stations.
The Pretoria West power plant, built in 1952, has a design capacity of 180 megawatts of power, while the Rooiwal facility, erected in 1963, is designed to produce 450 megawatts. After refurbishment, the two stations are expected to jointly generate up to 1000 megawatts.
Both are operating considerably below their capacity, partly because they have been designed to use anthracite, a grade of coal that is more profitable to export.
According to Ramokgopa, the city was exploring options like the long-term lease of the Rooiwal power station, the long-term lease of the Pretoria West power station and/or the establishment of a new 300 megawatt power plant in Rooiwal.
It had previously been reported that the council continuously experienced difficulties with the five boilers at the Rooiwal power station and that operational cost at the two plants were too high for the city to subsidise. Last week the Department of Environmental Affairs air quality management services director Vumile Senene said that if the company that would be procured does its job well then we would have nothing to worry about regarding air pollution.
Senene was making a point that the proper management of the power stations would prevent more emission in the environment.
The department report raised concerns about the quality of air in the country’s major cities, including Tshwane.
Reacting to the report, Mashigo said the power stations were equipped with air quality management systems, and every five years the licence compliance was reviewed by conducting new tests.
He said Pretoria West had just been recently issued another compliance certificate by Gauteng provincial environmental department.
Rooiwal, on the other hand, could not be issued with a renewed certificate because it was not generating power, he said. The report also said the city has a sulphur oxide in the air, and while levels were low, this could become a threat if the old city power stations in Pretoria West were not managed properly.
Mashigo said there was a quality management system in place that included filter bags for Rooiwal as part of managing air quality and deposits of pollution into the air.
He, however, could not clarify whether the consumers would pay more for electricity in Tshwane because of the private management of the two plants.
Pretoria News