Capetonians can expect more blackouts this week.
The powers that be in South Africa - since I have no self-restraint, I can’t help but point out that they are the same people in control of the power that don’t be in Cape Town - are playing a high-stakes game to restore our city’s once never-interrupted supply of electricity to its former, erm, never-interruptedness. They have bargained with France to ship a spare part needed to fix the Koeberg nuclear reactor - which, because it is operating at only a fraction of its full capacity, is the immediate source of the electricity shortage problem - in exchange for various financially-onerous guarantees.
The spare part, a rotor, weighs 200 tons, and is the only such spare part currently available anwhere in the world. France was not keen to let it go, and wants it back once our own rotor is fixed. If there are any problems with the shipment, South Africa will give France the 2010 World Cup. Just kidding. But we will pick up all incidental costs - which will be staggeringly high.
Meanwhile, the medium-term outlook is equally poor, with intermittent blackouts for the city forecast through July. The variables conspiring to darken Cape Town include Eskom’s strategic unpreparedness for SA’s economic growth and power grid bedevilment. It’s complicated - for visitors, it’s probably best to just take what will seem as minor inconveniences in stride.
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Congratulations on a great web site. I am a new computer user and finding you was like coming home. Continued success.
I have been poking around eskom’s website, and came across their financials for 2005. I refer to one table: http://www.eskom.co.za/about/Annual%20Report%202005/Holdings/bottomframe.php?int=36
Eskom has increased sales of electricity from 2,986 GWh in 1995 to 12,954 GWh in 2004 (2005 figures looks to be 12,800 GWh, the listed figure is for 15 months). This is a 6-fold increase. Considering the increase in electricity production (165 000 GWh to 229 907 GWh) it seems crazy to sell other countries “excess” electricity, while forgetting about us.
What about the number of employees? Eskom has fired 10 000 employees in the last 10 years. 1000 job losses a year? Firing 3% of your employees, just so they can increase their profit to R4 billion (from R3 billion in 2003). That’s R4 billion paid to their shareholder, the Minister of Public Enterprises. Imagine the performance bonuses!