Johnathan Paoli
Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said that while the return to service of Kusile Unit 3 on Saturday is a significant step towards ending load shedding, Eskom remains unable to comply with the requirements regarding sulphur emissions.
Ramokgopa was speaking during the weekly briefing on Sunday, outlining the progress in implementing the government’s energy action plan.
The unit that has now come back online at Kusile is the first of three units impacted by a chimney collapse about a year ago.
The incident robbed Eskom of about 2 400 MW of generation capacity, which is equal to at least two stages of load shedding and led to the dire winter outlook that predicted intensified load shedding of up to Stage 8 – although this did not materialise due to lower electricity demand than expected.
The other two units are expected to be functional in October and November and when operating at full capacity, the three units are expected to generate more than 2,400MW (800MW each) of electricity, equating to just over two stages of reduced load shedding.
Ramokgopa said Unit 3 was generating about 550MW on Sunday morning and its performance is expected to be ramped up to be closer to its installed capacity of 800MW.
The Minister said that the power utility is beginning to turn the corner in relation to additional capacity.
“The Kusile units are going to be indispensable to the resolution of this problem and in the short term will help us to reduce the intensity of load shedding,” Ramokgopa said.
Ramokgopa said that the addition of Unit 5 is expected to start undergoing testing in December, but will contribute to additional capacity during the test-phase.
The Minister warned that due to the temporary bypass of the flue-gas desulphurisation unit, responsible for cutting sulphur dioxide emissions, to assist repairs earlier this year, the power utility will not be able to meet the emission parameters.
“I must emphasise that although we are seeking exemptions, the net result of this exemption will mean that we will not meet our emission parameters. We have put measures in place to ensure that there is some degree of mitigation associated with that,” Ramokgopa said.
The minister praised the National Treasury, saying that the R254 billion fiscal relief it provided was the main support for the recent improvements and that planned maintenance would continue, ensuring reliable and well-functioning units at the power station.
INSIDE POLITICS
