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South Africa’s power crisis will continue until 2025 – and blackouts will take 5 years to phase out

South Africa’s power crisis will continue until 2025 – and blackouts will take 5 years to phase out

SOUTH Africa is in the middle of a severe electricity crisis, with enforced power cuts that have worsened every year. Electricity is sometimes unavailable for 10 hours a day. The shortfall is the consequence of frequent breakdowns at its ageing coal power plants, which constitute 74% of the country’s generating capacity. In theory, improving the performance and reliability of the existing coal plants would resolve the power crisis. This remedy is promoted in some quarters. But it’s easier said than done. To function satisfactorily, many of the plants would require a complete overhaul, which would be both time-consuming and prohibitively…
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‘SA should spend to end blackouts’

‘SA should spend to end blackouts’

SOUTH Africa should not shy away from spending to fix the country's power crisis, its electricity minister told Reuters, ahead of a cabinet decision later this month on his proposals to end the worst power blackouts on record. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, appointed last month to the newly created role, was speaking in an interview less than two months after the National Treasury granted state utility Eskom 254 billion rand ($13.81 billion) of debt relief over the next three years. President Cyril Ramaphosa's government has made repeated attempts to improve power availability but failed to make progress. Ramokgopa's appointment is the latest effort to…
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Eskom CEO quits: why finding a new head for South Africa’s struggling power utility won’t end the blackouts

Eskom CEO quits: why finding a new head for South Africa’s struggling power utility won’t end the blackouts

FOR a multitude of reasons, Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter’s resignation is a huge setback for the state-owned power utility and South Africa. It comes at a time when the utility, which produces 95% of the electricity used in the country, needs stable leadership. Stability is critical for success in the three key transitions Eskom needs to navigate. It needs to turn back the tide of state capture, and deliver a reliable electricity supply. It must reorganise the group into generation, distribution and transmission, and it must reduce its carbon footprint. Author DAVID RICHARD WALWYN, Professor of Technology Management, University…
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