Eskom has admitted it has a solution to its highly unreliable ageing fleet of coal power stations. This time, however, the plan is not the clichéd definition of insanity (which seems to have been the plan over much of the last decade).
For the second year in a row, Eskom management and key staff members will not take leave in the festive season as the power utility struggles to halt power outages.
Following major problems that brought Eskom’s Medupi power station to its knees last week, Medupi manager Rudi van der Wal is leaving Eskom to take up a position overseas.
Estimates of the blackouts’ toll range from R1-billion to R5-billion/day. They could also cost South Africa its last investment-grade credit rating from Moody’s Investors Service.
Eskom managed to keep the lights on in winter and aims to continue averting load shedding while balancing the need to increase maintenance to protect against the risk of unreliable plant performance.
Eskom’s power system “remains tight and vulnerable” going into the summer because of increased maintenance.
Eskom’s 96-year history is replete with former CEOs who rose from within the debt-laden state utility to run the company. There are few obvious choices for the next CEO to come from those same ranks.
