Even with the 15.63% tariff hike to be implemented on 1 April, Eskom considers its electricity tariffs to be far from cost-reflective. Yet further big price hikes will mean alternative sources of energy become more viable.
Browsing: Energy and sustainability
South Africans are in for a hefty rise in the price of electricity, as energy regulator Nersa has agreed to Eskom increasing its tariff by over 15% for the 2021/2022 financial year.
A photograph in the entrance hall at Komati power station shows the plant in better times, its nine generating units belching steam and smoke into the night sky. Those days are never coming back.
The criticalness of the current energy challenges call for South Africa to follow suit in leveraging AI and emerging technologies to reimagine the future of energy. By Mark Nasila.
Eskom said on Wednesday that it will implement stage-3 rotational load shedding with effect from 1pm, a dramatic escalation in the rolling blackouts that are paralysing the economy.
Wet coal aside, Eskom’s immediate outlook for its available generation capacity is much improved from a month ago. However, the longer-term outlook does not look encouraging.
Load shedding is back, this time in the middle of the week, as Eskom struggles with supply problems. The power interruptions are set to start at 10pm on Tuesday and will run until 5am on Wednesday.
City Power, Johannesburg’s municipal electricity supplier, has moved to a two-hour load-shedding schedule and announced changes to its load-shedding blocks – both implemented with immediate effect.
Eskom will implement stage-2 load shedding from midday on Friday, with the cuts expected to continue all weekend, as heavy rains impact the utility’s ability to burn coal.
Harith General Partners, which funds infrastructure development across Africa, is pushing ahead with plans to build the first gas-fired power plants in South Africa’s industrial hub of Gauteng.