said the availability of energy at six power stations has been picked up. (Getty Images)
EThe skom’s short-term goal of reducing the severity of load-shedding appears to have come to a head today when the utility announced that the performance of some coal-fired power plants is improving.
The utility says this will reduce the load.
“Load shedding will be suspended, if possible, over the weekend and vary between stages one and two for the rest of the period.”
This bodes well for the utility’s target of achieving 70% energy availability by 2025. Eskom announced on Thursday that six coal-fired power plants have achieved an energy availability factor (EAF) of 70% over the past week, “the latest milestone to be achieved. date May 8, 2022”.
“These three power plants, Camden, Duvha and Matla, have continued to rise as a result of reducing plant damage and returning to service some unplanned damaged units,” Calib’s chief executive said. said Cassim.
Eskom said the Lethabo, Matimba and Medupi plants also showed positive performance.
The utility is under pressure to reduce the frequency of load shedding by improving the performance of power stations and stabilizing the energy system for some time. Before Thursday’s announcement, the energy availability factor was 58%, according to Eskom’s Weekly System Status Report.
Eskom’s long-term goal is to end load shedding and achieve energy security by adding new generation capacity to the grid.
“While this is still early progress, it shows the positive trajectory of the actions taken to restore Eskom’s generation plants. This is in line with Eskom’s target of achieving 70% EAF by financial year 2025,” said Cassim.
Eskom’s board chairman, Mpho Makwana, said this proved to be able to increase the availability of national energy.
“Significant performance improvements in Camden, Duvha, and Matla, as well as commendable performance in Lethabo, Matimba and Medupi, assure that if we continue to adopt an all-hands-on-deck approach, we will continue to improve energy availability.”
“I especially commend the various teams at this power plant for their great work and also applaud all Eskom employees for their continued hard work and dedication,” added Makwana.
Eskom said it will continue to work on its generation recovery program to achieve sustained improvements in power generation.
The announcement came as Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Barbara Creecy approved Kusile’s grant of an exemption to operate a temporary stack without using the flue gas desulfurization mechanism for 13 months, despite warnings that this could pose a health risk to surrounding communities.
In his statement, Creecy said the exemption, in terms of the Air Quality Act, had been granted on March 14 in response to an application received from Eskom regarding Kusile. It was brought because of the “urgent need to alleviate the electricity crisis in the country”.
He said Eskom should apply to the national air quality officer for a one-time delay with an appropriate timeframe for minimum emission standards for new plants. The one-time suspension is only valid until March 31, 2025, according to the regulations.
Cabinet, in a statement, welcomed Creecy’s decision to grant Eskom an exemption from the lengthy process required to amend its Atmospheric Emissions Licence.
“According to Eskom, this exemption will be able to implement a temporary solution to the damage to the Kusile power station in November 2023 and thus allow the power plant to continue its generation capacity of 2 100 megawatts which will reduce the exposure of South Africa to reduce the load by two levels,” he said.
At Mail & Guardians previously reported, according to environmentalists, these emissions can cause a variety of health problems, including respiratory diseases, chronic wheeze, decreased lung function, upper airway irritation and bronchoconstriction. Chronic exposure can lead to premature death.
“If Kusile operates at a pre-stack-collapse production rate of 33% for 13 months, as proposed, it is estimated that 195 people will die from … pollution. If it operates at 100% for 13 months, 492 people will die,” he said. .
In other news, S&P Global Ratings rated Eskom’s debt positively, meaning it could be upgraded.
The move follows last month’s announcement that Eskom will receive a R254-billion loan from the government, the rating firm said on Tuesday.
Eskom said this is an indication to the market that the agency may increase Eskom’s credit rating by one or more, based on the expectation that Eskom’s liquidity position will be strengthened by reducing debt.
“The announcement by S&P Global is very positive as it supports the positive impact of debt relief on Eskom’s financial position and overall liquidity. It will also allay the fears of Eskom’s lenders and creditors regarding Eskom’s financial stability,” said Cassim.
Mandisa Nyathi is a fellow climate reporter, funded by the Open Society Foundation for South Africa