South Africa’s electricity company, Eskom, says it is working hard towards reducing load shedding, stating its efforts to include implementation of the reliability maintenance programme and implementation of the generation recovery programme, also known as the nine-point plan.

According to the power utility, despite the initial challenges posed by COVID-19 lockdown, high levels of maintenance have been sustained with planned maintenance gradually increasing to between 5 500MW and 7 000MW or about 12%.

Addressing media on the status of the system on Monday Eskom Group Chief Executive, André de Ruyter, said, “Regrettably, we’re in load shedding today and of course, we don’t take this lightly. This is something we do as a last resort.

“Today as we speak, we have 15% of our capacity out on planned maintenance. Of course, as we take these units out on planned maintenance that reduces our energy availability factor and increases the risk of load shedding.”

However, according to De Ruyter, properly maintained units are brought back, the risk of power cuts will abate over time, even though they will not entirely disappear.

Also, owing to the nine-point plan, the availability and reliability of the synchronised units at Medupi are showing steady improvement.

The plan places correcting new build defects top out of the list of the agenda, he explained.

Meanwhile, major defects at Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme have been addressed, with now all four units operating at the full capacity of 331MW since February 2021 from 245MW.

Also, coal stock levels continue to improve, with the average coal stock at 52 days by the end of February, excluding Medupi and Kusile.

“There is currently no power station below the grid code minimum requirement of 20 days,” he said.

Shifting to rain readiness preparedness, De Ruyter, told the media that the resilience of the power system during heavy rains and the cyclone storm Eloise is also a clear indication that this has paid off.

Going forward, the power utility said it will address emissions as a key challenge.

“The new minimum emissions standards now in effect, meaning there is a lot of work still to be done to fully meet compliance levels. This is because some of the electrostatic precipitators on the older facilities are incapable of meeting the new minimum emissions standards.”

Kusile and Medupi power stations

De Ruyter also confirmed that the “build programme” is progressing well, with Kusile Unit 2 having successfully achieved commercial operation in October last year, adding 720MW to the national grid.

Kusile Unit 3 and Medupi Unit 1 are also on track to achieve commercial operation during the next few months.

“The addition of Medupi Unit 1 to the grid will bring the number of units in commercial operation at the power station to six, meaning this entire power station has now reached commercial operation and the construction project at Medupi has been completed.”

Koeberg Nuclear Power Station continues to operate efficiently and within the required safety parameters and at the lowest primary energy cost of baseload stations.

He said work is progressing well in Unit 1 is currently on a refuelling and maintenance outage, which is set to return to service in time for the higher demand expected during winter months.

Copper theft

However, Eskom continues to be plagued by ongoing theft and vandalism of infrastructure, which continues to impact operations, increasing the risk of power supply interruptions.

He said they are working closely with law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators to book.

Meanwhile, copper theft costs the economy between R5 billion and R7 billion per year, while Eskom spends about R2 billion replacing lost cables, he said.

“Another sad reality of the matter, infrastructure and electricity theft doesn’t only cost Eskom money but also creates risks to innocent people who are exposed to dangerous vandalised installations.”

Load shedding

Eskom Chief Operating Officer Jan Oberholzer, said: “The unreliability of the ageing fleet, with an uncertainty of about 6 000MW of capacity at any given time, will remain until the reliability maintenance programme can address the historical maintenance backlog”.

He admitted that the power system remains vulnerable and volatile with the risk of load shedding significantly reduced after the completion of the reliability maintenance by September 2021.

“Recovering the operational performance is our top priority and we will not compromise on reliability maintenance and mid-life refurbishment,” Oberholzer added.

As of 31 January 2021, Eskom was owed R35.2 billion by municipalities, which De Ruyter believes in unsustainable. –

Source: SAnews

South Africa has introduced interventions to strengthen security to protect the rail infrastructure of Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s (PRASA).

Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula said the measure “seeks to manage the downward spiral resulting from rampant criminality through the implementation of crime prevention strategies, working with communities and stakeholders.”

He was speaking in Pretoria on Monday at the inauguration of the “People’s Responsibility to Protect” PR2P programme.

The programme is aimed at creating partnerships between PRASA and local communities living near railway lines. Communities are expected to provide a force multiplier, additional to PRASA security in protecting rail infrastructure.

The first phase of the programme entails the rollout of a public engagement programme led by the PRASA Board. The second phase entails the training of volunteers to understand their roles in terms of the security and neighbourhood watch.

“They will also be trained on how to work with communities, with the police as well as PRASA Protection Services in an integrative manner that makes a telling difference.

“Upon completion of the security training, it is expected that the volunteers will be equipped with grade C Security Certificates accredited by the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority,” Mbalula said.

A total of 9 860 community-based volunteers will partner with PRASA nationwide focusing specifically on stations and corridors experiencing the most crime.

“The volunteers, once rigorously trained and accepted, will assist in the reduction of crime and vandalism risk inside the trains, platforms, ticket offices, rail infrastructure and to protect rail commuters.

“Community volunteers will be in partnership with PRASA for a duration of 12 months and will undertake various key integration activities under the guidance of PRASA security,” the Minister said.

The third phase entails integration of a total of 20 volunteers from each station area in the 46 PRASA corridors.

A total of 1 500 police reservists will be deployed and trained across all 46 corridors.

“The long-distance train corridors will exclusively make use of the existing Railway Police contingent. A total of 80 military veterans will be deployed in these 46 corridors, where they will be performing duties of corridor co-ordination,” Mbalula said.

The primary focus will be on the 16 functional corridors as the first phase of the implementation process.

“Facilitation of the deployment at stations, on the trains, on the platforms, across rail infrastructure and the outer perimeters of the rail precinct will be undertaken. This will be done concurrently with the integration of the volunteers, South African Police Service (SAPS) reservists, Community Police Forums, military veterans and PRASA Protection Services.”

The third phase also entails monitoring and evaluation of the interventions to determine if the project is realising its intended objectives.

It will also measure whether the project has made a tangible impact in the implementation of PRASA’s Crime Prevention and Security Strategies.

Source: SA News

Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has taken a swipe at the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, for accusing governors in the region of mismanagement of 13 percent derivation fund.

He said it was disingenuous for Akpabio who as Governor of Akwa Ibom State to act like a demi-god , to accuse incumbent governors of financial recklessness just because they did not attend the inauguration of Niger Delta Development Commission ((NDDC) headquarters building in Port Harcourt on Thursday.

The governor took a swipe at the minister during the inauguration of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Secretariat Building, performed by the National President of TUC, Comrade Quadri Olaleye, on Friday in Ozuoba Town of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

“We knew when Akpabio was governor what he was doing. In fact, he saw himself as god then. Now, he has the temerity to insult South South Governors. We will meet one day.  If he did well, why did he fail Senate election. If his people love him, why did he fail Senate election. Ordinary senate? And you will come and talk to us.”

Governor Wike accused the minister of sponsoring militants to cast aspersion on Niger Delta state governors by demanding that they should account for N55billion they received. He wondered how the minister came about the said amount.

“You (Akpabio) went and started sponsoring so called militants that we should render account of N55billion. Where did we get the N55 billion? If we got N55billion then he got N200 trillion . You cannot insult people.”

He explained that the inauguration of the NDDC headquarters building was planned without resort to the governors in the region to know if the date was suitable for them.

The governor also said Senator Godswill Akpabio lacks the morality to ask what the governors have done with the 13 percent derivation, when he got more money as a governor because Nigeria’s economy was better then.

“I have told him (Akpabio) to take less. Now, he is taking on South-South governors, we will tell him that when he was governor, he was acting as a king. There was money as at that time. What was the exchange rate N150 to a Dollar, today we are almost having N500 to a Dollar.  Akpabio had money and he had the temerity to say ask South-South governors what they are doing with 13 percent of their money.”

Governor Wike said it was bad for people to rob their failure on other when it is know to many how inconsistent and sycophantic they are to be politically relevant.

“I am not a sycophant. I am not an inconsistent person , I don’t give a damn. He cannot say he has been seeing me in his villa. So if he wants to talk let him concentrate in his state, not to venture again and talk about Rivers State. If he does it again, he will regret meeting Rivers State. People should say what they practice. I will show a video where Akpabio said the President should come and learn from me what I am doing here. I will show a video soon.”

The governor said the reason the minister defected to the All Progressives Congress was because he was afraid that the government might unleash the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after him.

“That is why Nigeria cannot move forward. Everybody is running away, because when they send EFCC, you run to the other party, then they protect you. That is the party , that is government that is fighting corruption. Akpabio is now moving round happy. He no longer takes his blood pressure medicine”, he concludes.