Blackouts in Johannesburg

[cheesedanish]

We have been experiencing Blackouts in the last 3 days all over the City.
They blame an increase of rain and therefore colder weather is increasing
the demands for electricity.

So please can someone tell me what is the difference from what we
experienced in the middle of winter with zero degrees temperatures
and now we are in Spring with mild temps in the 12 degree region.

I am not buying this bullshit - do they think we are that gullible?

A few Spring rains and they say the demand has increased?
I never experience any power outages in Winter at All!!!

Ok not sure when this computer is going to switch off - so had
better post this message!

This is the problem - people are reacting - very angry - so lets
see what is the solution - just waiting for the first rains so they
can increase the Electricity Costs!!!

We are truely in deep dark Africa - I have my gas cooker and
candles on Standby!!! Need a battery operated computer!


Gauteng power cuts (http://www.702.co.za/news/news.asp#75343)expected to continue
Large parts of Gauteng are expected to be powerless again today, as load shedding continues.

The exercise started on Tuesday after cold and wet weather resulted in an increased power demand.

As a result, robots have been out of order, throwing traffic into chaos. Many residents have also complained that they were without power for up to 12 hours.

Eskom's Fanie Zulu says load shedding will now intensify, because the public isn't saving electricity.

Business has also been severely hampered, experts say Eskom would be bankrupt if South African law allowed the commercial sector to claim back lost profits due to electricity blackouts.

Countless hours of production are being lost throughout the country as the electricity supplier intensifies its load shedding operations.

[cheesedanish]

By the way we call traffic lights 'robots'!

They say the Public isn't saving electricity - I suggest they all switch
their TV off!
Oh wait Big Rugby match on Saturday - that won't do!!! :eek:

[lumukanda]

it's not just in jozi, my power has been off for two days in a row, coming back on at about 17h00 (when everyone's home making dinner?), i don't buy it either CD.

[cheesedanish]

I am on to these guys!!

There was an article in yesterday's Business Report (http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=552&fArticleId=4076071)confirming my suspicions.

I have reason to believe the 'solution' - problem-reaction-solution as follows :
They are planning on building new nuclear power plants and need more money to pay this.


Eskom's excuse for outages doesn't hold water - experts
October 12, 2007

By Justin Brown

Johannesburg - Eskom's claims that wet weather resulted in the utility losing generation capacity failed to be backed up by an industry analyst or the major mining companies that supply it with more than 80 percent of its coal.

Exxaro Resources, Anglo American and BHP Billiton, which together supply Eskom with close to 100 million tons a year out of the utility's total consumption of 120 million tons, yesterday said the recent rains had hardly affected their supply of coal to the utility.

Fani Zulu, an Eskom spokesperson, claimed wet weather had made coal stockpiles unusable at at least three stations, while the wet weather had also had a negative effect on the open pit coal mines that supply Eskom.

However, Xavier Prevost, a Wood Mackenzie coal analyst, said coal made wet by the rain would not have had an effect on Eskom's ability to produce and transmit power.

This was because coal went through a long process where it was made into fine granules and the moisture was largely removed before it was burnt in a power station furnace.

Ernest Venter, Exxaro Coal's general manager, said supply to Eskom's Matimba power station from South Africa's largest coal mine, Grootegeluk, which is an open pit operation, had not been affected because there was a large stockpile of coal at the mine.

Allan Shout, Anglo Coal South Africa's marketing director, said the rain had affected the work in the group's open pit coals mines, but that the company had a lot of coal stockpiled for supply to power stations - so there was no effect on those supplies.
Zulu said wet weather had caused Eskom to lose more than 1 000 megawatts of capacity out of a total loss of 8 400MW, or 20 percent, of capacity the utility had available to generate electricity.

However, when challenged about the fact that the three mining companies had failed to back up his earlier argument, Zulu said: "You will have to call all the companies that supply Eskom with coal - you are not going to call three people and say that that does not back up our argument. They are not supplying all of the power stations."

Zulu said that in the past, rain would not have had an effect on Eskom's ability to supply power, as it had a sufficient cushion of surplus coal available to draw on during rainy weather.

"We have known about this risk and have put in place measures to mitigate this," he added.

The growth in the demand for power has been outpacing the growth in supply, forcing Eskom to announce projects worth a total of R245 billion to boost the availability of power.

Prevost said the rain would have negatively affected the transport of coal from the mines to Eskom's power stations.

[tinmenace]

Yep, my sister lives in the Knysna area, and every other email she sends talks about preparing for the coming blackouts that Eskom (sp?) have announced in the newspaper. They live on a plot and have to pump water from the holding tanks to the house, so they are always looking out for power outages so that they can be prepared. It's a pain, and it really holds people hostage.

I feel for y'all. :(

[cheesedanish]

CAPE TOWN (http://www.citizen.co.za/index/article.aspx?pDesc=40221,1,22)– South Africa could have at least ten more nuclear power stations within two decades if Eskom has its way, according to the utility’s chief executive Jacob Maroga.
He told journalists at a briefing in Cape Town on Thursday that in the face of global warming, nuclear power was the “next big viable alternative” to coal.Eskom’s board had made a strategic decision that a significant component of South Africa’s power should come from nuclear generation.
He agreed this would mean at least ten new plants.
Nuclear power was “the most viable technology” to avoid carbon dioxide emissions.He said South Africa’s electricity consumption, which stood at 20,000 MW in 1994, reached 36,000MW last week.
Eksom had already approved a R150 billion capital expansion programme over the next five years.
He said tariffs would have to reflect this jump in spending, and Eksom was engaging the national electricity regulator on a tariff “path” that would allow South Africa to remain internationally competitive.

[cheesedanish]

But it's such a con Tinmenace as we are supplying power to neighbouring countries!! So there is really no shortage as they claim. Just and excuse to suck more money out of us to fund their schemes!

Like I said in the middle of freezing winter ... not one power cut.
First summer rains and ooops there goes the power? Does not make
sense and this said its a lie that the 'coal is wet'??

[tinmenace]

You're absolutely right on the money! Why should the people suffer so that the government can profit from supplying power to other countries!?

:mad:

[cheesedanish]

Where do you think they are going to find R150-billion?

Carbon emissions - another excuse to go ahead with nuclear plants!!!

Eskom looks to nuclear plants (http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=318364&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__business/)

James Macharia | Johannesburg, South Africa


05 September 2007 07:21

South Africa's largely coal-driven power utility Eskom has hit the limits of its capacity and aims to double output by 2025, with nuclear plants supplying more than a quarter of future energy compared with 6% now.

Eskom's chief executive Jacob Maroga told a coal conference on Tuesday the state-owned firm would cut back on polluting coal-fired plants that have made South Africa the world's lowest cost electricity producer.

"The issues we're faced with are costs and lead time, but the debate around global warming is key, because coal is a big contributor to carbon dioxide emissions," Maroga told the Coaltrans conference.

"We can now finally say we have run out of surplus capacity."

Maroga said plans to boost output to 80 000 megawatts (MW) by 2025 would include adding 20 000 MW of nuclear-supplied energy as well as extra renewable capacity.

The proportion of output from coal would fall below 70% by 2025 from 86% currently.

"All over the world nuclear is coming back," he said. "Going forward the electricity prices we have will not be sustainable."

Maroga said South Africa, one of the biggest producers of uranium, was building a multi-billion dollar new technology pebble bed modular reactor (PBMR), and has mooted building more conventional plants to add to Koeberg.

The company has already outlined a R150-billion spending programme from 2007 to 2011, with more to follow. - Reuters