Eskom says there are three factors that lead to the current load shedding dilemma which started this morning at 9am SA time. A spokesman for the power utility (and we use the word ‘utility’ reluctantly), Andrew Etzinger, says rainfall is the main culprit: “Eskom has implemented measures at power stations to increase resilience against heavy rainfall. The current situation is, however, that after days of continuous rainfall in Mpumalanga, even those contingencies are no longer valid.”
Fin24 quotes EEtzinger as saying a second factor is that at certain power stations there are open cast coal mines. Therefore it is vulnerable to the weather.
Thirdly, the transportation of coal to power stations makes it vulnerable to rain.
So the coal is wet. From living in the UK we can tell you that wet coal burns just as well as dry coal. It was made to burn, wet or dry.
But let’s get back to basics. We offer 5 ways to solve the Eskom predicament:
1. Plan and invest in infrastructure (you should have started 20 years ago);
2. Give tenders to the best value candidates, not the one with the biggest kick-back (avoid tenderneurs or Malemanomics)
3. Stop blaming increase in demand, it’s your fault for failing to anticipate and plan for growth/
4. Stop giving Zimbabwe free power
5. Appoint intelligent leadership. Throw aways your AA handbook and appoint the best people, even if they are purple.