The project to extend the lifespan of Africa’s sole nuclear power plant by another 20 years is running 45 days behind schedule, News24 reported, citing Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.
(Bloomberg) — The project to extend the lifespan of Africa’s sole nuclear power plant by another 20 years is running 45 days behind schedule, News24 reported, citing Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.
That means South Africa will spend its entire winter without the Koeberg unit that has a capacity of 920 megawatts, which is almost equivalent to one stage of loadshedding, the term used for power rationing by state-owned utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd.
The later return of the Koeberg unit means that the under-performing coal-fired power stations in the country’s north eastern Mpumalanga province have to significantly improve, Ramokgopa said, according to News24.
Investor Weighs 3GW Gas-Fired Plant (1:41 p.m.)
An investor has expressed interest in establishing a 3,000-megawatt gas-fired plant in the Western Cape province, Ramokgopa said.
The minister said he will meet Alan Winde, the province’s premier, on Saturday to discuss the project that could begin within six to seven months. He spoke to reporters on Friday on the last day of a week-long tour of Eskom’s power stations, according to footage broadcast by eNCA.
Outage Levels Lowered (2:58 p.m.)
Eskom will lower planned outages to 1,000 megawatts from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and will suspend loadshedding during the day on Sunday. The utility has been cutting between 2,000 megawatts and 3,000 megawatts since March 22.
Lawmakers Vote Against Probe (March 23, 8:26 p.m.)
South African lawmakers on Thursday voted against setting up a panel to investigate claims of corruption at Eskom.
The electricity supplier is allegedly losing about 1 billion rand ($55 million) a month due to graft and theft, Eskom’s former Chief Executive Officer Andre de Ruyter said during an interview with local broadcaster e.tv last month. The alleged fraud involved people linked to the ruling African National Congress, he said.
Municipal Debt Rises (March 23, 4:09 p.m.)
South Africa’s municipalities owed the state power power utility 56.3 billion rand by the end of last year, a debt that’s continued to rise, Deputy President Paul Mashatile said.
“It is clear that we need a debt relief strategy that will acknowledge the inherent risk of unviable municipalities,” he told lawmakers in Cape Town on Thursday. “Eskom will provide incentivized relief to municipalities whose debt is unaffordable. However, the relief will come with conditions that will ensure there is no repeat of debt buildup over time.”
Municipalities will be required to install additional prepaid electricity meters, and use their budgetary allocations more effectively and efficiently to qualify for assistance, according to the deputy president.
–With assistance from Paul Vecchiatto and Amogelang Mbatha.
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