Energie

Eskom: 100 dae sonder beurtkrag

KRIEL, SOUTH AFRICA - OCTOBER 21: A general view of coal fired power station Kriel on October 21, 2024 in Kriel, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The power plant, operated by the government owned company Eskom, is one of many coal fired stations in the province. The international community is putting pressure on South Africa to close their fleet of aging coal-fired plants, which provides most of the electricity in the country. The Just Energy Transition Investment Plan, primarily funded by France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, has pledged about US$8.5 billion to South Africa for phasing out these power stations but its estimated that about US$250 billion (almost R4-trillion) is needed the next decades to finance South Africas transition from coal. Hundreds of thousands of people work in the coal industry in Mpumalanga Province alone and its uncertain how they will be re-trained or get new jobs, many who has no advanced skills. There are about 130 active coal mines (collieries) in Mpumalanga and about 600 closed ones, and the pollution is some of the worst in the world according to a recent report by Greenpeace. (Photo by Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images)
KRIEL, SOUTH AFRICA - OCTOBER 21: A general view of coal fired power station Kriel on October 21, 2024 in Kriel, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The power plant, operated by the government owned company Eskom, is one of many coal fired stations in the province. The international community is putting pressure on South Africa to close their fleet of aging coal-fired plants, which provides most of the electricity in the country. The Just Energy Transition Investment Plan, primarily funded by France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, has pledged about US$8.5 billion to South Africa for phasing out these power stations but its estimated that about US$250 billion (almost R4-trillion) is needed the next decades to finance South Africas transition from coal. Hundreds of thousands of people work in the coal industry in Mpumalanga Province alone and its uncertain how they will be re-trained or get new jobs, many who has no advanced skills. There are about 130 active coal mines (collieries) in Mpumalanga and about 600 closed ones, and the pollution is some of the worst in the world according to a recent report by Greenpeace. (Photo by Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images) (Netwerk24)

Eskom het Sondag nog ’n bedryfsmylpaal behaal deur 100 dae opeenvolgens nie beurtkrag toe te pas nie.

Daphne Mokwena, woordvoerder van die nutsmaatskappy, het Sondag gesê dit volg op die prestasie van verlede jaar toe daar 352 dae aaneen geen beurtkrag was nie.

Dit is ook ’n beduidende verbetering op die 36 dae in die vorige boekjaar wat op 31 Maart 2024 geëindig het.

Die vordering spruit volgens Mokwena uit die opwekkingsherstelplan wat in Maart 2023 in werking gestel is, en gedryf word deur die “onwrikbare toewyding van ons spanne wat werk om die nasionale netwerk te stabiliseer en te versterk”.

Sedert die nuwe finansiële jaar, wat op 1 April begin het, was daar slegs 26 uur se beurtkrag. Sedert 15 Mei is daar nog nie weer beurtkrag toegepas nie.

Die opwekkingsvermoë verbeter volgens Mokwena steeds, met onbeplande verliese weens stelsels wat onklaar raak nou op 6 035 MW – “ ’n entjie onder die 7 000 MW-drempel”.

“Die laaste keer dat Eskom onbeplande verliese onder hierdie vlak aangeteken het, was op 27 September 2020, toe die syfer op 6 829 MW gestaan het.”

Mokwena sê die vordering is nie net mylpale nie, en dat dit hulle nader aan ’n groter doel bring: Om beurtkrag finaal te beëindig.

“Eskom bly ten volle verbind tot die ondersteuning van Suid-Afrika se elektrisiteitshervormingsagenda en die versnelling van die oorgang na ’n mededingende, volhoubare energietoekoms.

“Ons fokus is nie net op die handhawing van operasionele uitnemendheid nie, maar op strukturele hervormings wat die toekoms van die energiebedryf sal vorm tot voordeel van alle Suid-Afrikaners.”

Netwerk24 het vroeër berig Eskom het van 1 April tot 7 Augustus vanjaar R5,842 miljard aan diesel bestee. Volgens Eskom is dié dieselverbruik steeds binne sy begroting.

Van 15 tot 21 Augustus het die beplande instandhouding effens toegeneem en in hierdie tydperk het Eskom se energiebeskikbaarheidsfaktor tussen 63% en 69% gewissel.

– stefani.terblanche@media24.com