DA urges implementation of VGBE report on coal-fired power stations
The DA has called on Eskom to implement the recommendations contained in a report on the performance of South Africa’s coal-fired power stations.
German consultants from VGBE Energy carried out assessments and consultations over three months last year on behalf of National Treasury.
The report urged an improvement in operations and maintenance at Kusile and Medupi.
They also recommended expanding the grid.
The DA's Shadow Electricity Minister Samantha Graham-Mare says the suggestions can improve generation capacity.
"In contrast, the Treasury/VGBE report – unencumbered by political bias, provides a realistic diagnosis of what has gone wrong at Eskom’s power stations and the evidence-based interventions needed to improve generation output, namely: Partnering with Original Equipment Manufacturers to run the plants like Medupi and Kusile to ensure a continuous improvement process.
"Urgent decentralisation is needed to devolve management responsibility to power plant level. According to the report, ‘This empowerment includes full budget responsibility and accountability of the Power Station General Manager’.
"To reduce load losses, a comprehensive, systematic, and standardised maintenance approach is needed in order to improve plant performance. The current practice, according to the report, is that ‘the plants have been forced to continue operating at the expense of their technical condition’."
