Energy Crisis Committee (ECC) member Rudi Dicks has pleaded with South Africans to be patient regarding the energy plan, adding that a state of disaster may help to fast-track authorisation processes and power procurement.
Speaking at a government briefing on the crisis on Tuesday, Dicks said while declaring a state of disaster was up to cabinet, it could help to expedite these matters.
“If we stick with that programme of getting those megawatts out, excluding what Eskom is doing to improve plant performance, we can have about 8,800MW by the end of next year. But we have to work flat out and do what the president [Cyril Ramaphosa] has directed.”
Dicks added that units had been out of commission due to unforeseen circumstances, including design flaws and infrastructure collapse.
“When we initially started doing this, we explained it with a warning, something the CEO would call a health warning. And that health warning remains. We added interventions on plant performance and qualified it with risks that may arise. And lo and behold, those risks came about.”
Eskom board member and ECC member Mteto Nyati lamented a dysfunctional workplace culture at Eskom, saying: “About 70% of employees are dedicated and trying to do what is right for Eskom and South Africa. But a fair amount, many in management ... are not leading. That is a problem.”
Nyati hailed Nersa's earlier Eskom tariff increase decision.
“If we continue to sell below the price of production, we have no future. A business that sells below the cost of whatever it is producing is not going to make it. We appreciate the 18.65%. It is not what we were asking for, but it will go a long way.”
In a blunt account of maintenance at the power utility, acting head of generation Thomas Conradie said not doing necessary plant refurbishment had forced Eskom to constantly play catch-up.
“We’ve got very high levels of unavailability ... and frequent breakdowns. That makes it difficult for us to do longer-term projections. You can have two good days and lose five days from a day of bad availability.
“We have been in firefighting mode, not for the past few years, but for the past 10 years. Some staff in these processes only know firefighting.”
Conradie added that Eskom had reverted to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for maintenance and quality control during planned outages.
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