Eskom latest: concern over Koeberg delay, Juwi energy projects

A delay in completing maintenance at Eskom’s sole nuclear power station is worrying as South Africa heads into winter, when electricity demand increases, according to Alan Winde, premier of the Western Cape province.

Work on the Koeberg plant north of Cape Town has stalled and is running weeks late, adding to energy shortages that have led to daily power cuts to protect the system from a complete blackout. “We can’t be behind right now,” Winde said. “We’ve got to be on time, on budget.”

The premier met last weekend with South African Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, who mentioned that a foreign investor has expressed interest in establishing a 3 000-megawatt gas-fired plant in the Western Cape. The proposal is still at an early stage, and if it goes ahead fuel could possibly be brought to the plant site via a pipeline from Saldanha Bay, 155 kilometers (97 miles) north of Cape Town, Winde said in a telephone interview.

Eskom employee kidnapped, assaulted (March 29, 10:20 a.m.)  

Seven assailants fired multiple shots at an Eskom employee’s car on March 16 and then abducted him, the utility said. The employee was later released south of Johannesburg and admitted to the hospital for treatment. The police are investigating the incident.

Juwi to start developing 1GW of South Africa projects in 2023 (March 29, 9 a.m.) 

Juwi GmbH, a German renewable energy plant developer, plans to start developing 1 000 megawatts of wind, solar and so-called hybrid power plants in South Africa this year.

The projects add to more than 1 500 megawatts of wind power, 2 000 megawatts of solar energy and 500 megawatts of hybrid plants the unit of MVV Energie AG is developing in the country, Juwi said in a statement.

Labour union disputes minister’s claims on graft (March 27, 2:47 p.m.)

The biggest labour union at Eskom disputed a claim by Ramokgopa that the utility’s underperformance isn’t related to widespread graft.

“We are categorically and emphatically disagreeing with the minister’s version that corruption in Eskom does not play any role” in persistent electricity shortages, the National Union of Mineworkers, said in a statement.

The union alleged that plant breakdowns can be attributed to the use of low-quality parts. that are being purchased at over-inflated prices with the help of some Eskom employees.

Eskom resumes power outages (March 26, 5:52 p.m.)

Eskom resumed power outages Sunday after suspending rotational blackouts for most of the day.

The utility cut 1 000 megawatts from the national grid, a practice known as load shedding, from 4 p.m until 5 a.m. Monday and then 2 000 megawatts until 4 p.m., before ramping up again and cutting 3 000 megawatts until 5 a.m. Tuesday.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, 1 000 megawatts will be cut between 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. and 2 000 megawatts between 4 p.m. and 5 a.m. the following day, the utility said in a statement.