[We have only have a mere 12 years of ANC rule, whereas Mugabe ruled Zim for over 25 years. Sometimes it appears to me that Mugabe is actually a better ruler than the ANC. It has taken the ANC only 12 years to start breaking an infrastructure that is much bigger and stronger than that which Mugabe inherited. That we are sitting with power problems after only 12 years is actually quite shocking.

But I’ll tell you that a good portion of the reason is because the ANC went and electrified millions of shacks… none of which actually pay one cent for their electricity… The ANC’s socialism has overloaded this country’s fine electricity network. Now its BROKEN – or almost so. They’re struggling to keep it going.

They say they will need to spend R95 billion over 5 years to try and fix it… but then I heard later them saying they’d need to spend EVEN MORE! Damned right. They’ve been skipping on that all important routine maintenance and overloaded the system and now they will pay enormous sums of money to fix it! THERE ARE NO FREE LUNCHES YOU BUGGERS! NOW YOU ARE PAYING THE PRICE FOR ALL THAT SO-CALLED FREE SOCIALISM! Jan]

South Africa: Eskom Power Scramble to Keep SA Plugged in
Business Day (Johannesburg)
By: Robyn Chalmers
Johannesburg

ESKOM has unveiled an emergency plan to avoid rolling black-outs this winter and beyond, with spiralling demand for power and rapidly dwindling excess capacity forcing the utility to admit it is heading for trouble.

The plan comes after countrywide power cuts this month placed Eskom, which supplies 95% of SA’s electricity, under severe pressure from business and consumers. This is particularly so as the utility promised less than a year ago that last year’s power cuts in Western Cape would not spread to the rest of SA.

Eskom freely admits it got its growth estimates wrong, having forecast 3% growth in electricity demand against actual demand of 4,5%.

“Nobody forecast this type of growth. We are seeing capacity problems throughout the economy,” said CEO Thulani Gcabashe.

As a result, Eskom will increase its five-year, R97bn programme by doubling capacity at the planned R26bn coal-fired power station, dubbed Project Alpha, which was originally due to deliver 2250MW. The additional 2250MW, called Project Charlie, could come at a price tag of up to R30bn. Further capacity additions sanctioned by the board are in Western Cape — a 100MW wind farm and an additional 1000MW to Atlantis, an open-cycle gas turbine plant.

The utility is also looking to regional neighbours for help, and is talking to Namibia and Zimbabwe about developing a corridor to bring power to SA. Gcabashe was in Namibia this month for talks with Kudu Gas about bringing the 800MW project on stream as soon as possible.

However, the biggest appeal Eskom will make is to power users, asking consumers to dramatically cut back on power use, particularly at peak times in the mornings and evenings when demand is highest.

Gcabashe said on Friday that Eskom could not solve the looming power crisis alone. “As long as it’s Eskom’s problem, we won’t manage. We can’t meet demand for electricity through building power stations. We need a drastic change in the behaviour of power users,” he said.

Eskom is working with municipalities and the minerals and energy department on the plan to reduce demand at peak periods and ensure electricity is used more efficiently. This is likely to involve encouraging people to use geyser blankets, instal solar heaters and compact fluorescent lighting, and possibly incentives. The aim is to reduce demand by 3000MW over five years.

Eskom has total capacity of 36 400MW, of which about 8% is spare capacity, against an international norm of 15%. A further 2000MW will be added this year by bringing mothballed power sta-tions back on stream as well as the gas turbines.

Consulting group NUS has warned Eskom is cutting it fine. GM Stephan Dolk said Eskom’s spare capacity was not adequate, with projections showing this year’s winter would be the worst ever.

“If there is any weakness in the system, it will show itself this winter,” he said.

Government, however, remains undaunted. Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin is confident SA will not be plunged into darkness while Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said estimates by business of lost production were “utter garbage”.

Source: AllAfrica.Com
URL: http://allafrica.com/stories/200701290528.htm…/p>