Ramokgopa to present load shedding solutions to cabinet

Ramokgopa briefed media at the Union Buildings on Friday to give an update on his findings following his countrywide tour of Eskom’s power stations.

In March, Environmental Affairs Minister Barbra Creecy granted Kusile exemption from complying fully with the national clean air regulations.

However, Kendall continues to experience limitations related to emissions compliance resulting in at least 1000 megawatts, the equivalent of one stage of load shedding, being taken off the grid.

“You have three options; as is, then the economy suffers and 1000 megawatts is lost; the second one is run it at the maximum capacity, save the economy but you’re doing great harm to the environment; and option three is to do both. In the short term, accept that there’s going to be harm to the environment, commit to a programme to ensure that I am going to retrofit technology to ensure that I remain within the parameters, but at the same time ensure that I am saving the [economy]," Ramokgopa said. 

He said his aim is to strike a balance between supply and demand, to promote economic activity, while considering the country’s commitments to the just energy transition and the “aggressiveness” with which they must be achieved.

“The first option is to ramp generation energy, the second option is to bring down demand, and the third option is our preferred option and it’s that you do both. You ramp up generation and reduce demand but as you reduce demand you don’t undermine the ability of households to meet their daily needs and you don’t undermine the ability of commerce and business to operate and meet their commercial demands, so we get the economy of South Africa going.”

Meanwhile, Ramokgopa stressed the interventions needed to turn Eskom around are not tied to the declaration of the national state of disaster, which government lifted on Wednesday.

He emphasised that many of the problems plaguing Eskom lie in technical, planning, procurement, historical issues – including corruption.

“There is nothing that is reliant on the declaration of the state of disaster; you making investment in those cooling towers, refurbishing some of these plants, returning to units at the time that you committed to outage slips has nothing to do with the state of disaster - it’s got everything to do with planning,” he said.

Ramokgopa also plans to continue consultations with the renewable energy sector before his meeting with cabinet, which he hopes will take place by the end of the month. 

STAGE 6 LOAD SHEDDING WORST-CASE SCENARIO

Minister Ramokgopa says owing to the expected increase in demand, load shedding is likely to increase in winter.

According to Ramokgopa, winter peak demand reaches 37 000 megawatts but Eskom can only guarantee 10 000 less than that.

“This is if we continue at this kind of efficiency…so you can improve efficiency and then run the open circle turbines to levels that are acceptable which is relative. At least at the basic minimum don’t, as a worst-case scenario, go beyond stage 6.”

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