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WATCH: War Room advisers shake up energy sector

Cape Town – While Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa should be commended for his work in the War Room, it is his advisers who deserve credit for some of the recent achievements, according to energy expert Chris Yelland.

Heading up this team is highly respected energy and infrastructure expert Professor Anton Eberhard of the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business.

Yelland heaped praise on Eberhard, saying his expertise is a driving force behind some of the recent decisions around independent power producers (IPPs).

WATCH:

“There is a new realisation of the importance of the role of the private sector,” he said. “Renewable energy seems to be the short- to medium-term opportunity to bring new capacity on to the grid and this seems to be expedited with this window for announcement of the preferred bidders.

“This [and other opportunities] bodes well… and has been a success story in the energy sector,” he said. “It needs to be carried forward, taken to its logical conclusion and then emulated in the coal and gas environment, also with IPPs.”

The way forward

Eskom will be left to deal with the existing new build programme of its three power stations and improving the performance of its current fleet. “That’s a big enough job in its own right,” said Yelland.

“If Eskom can improve its energy availability from the very poor – currently about 72% - up to the 80-85% [region], it can bring on an extra 4 000 to 5 000 MW of generation capacity. It is already built; it is just in a state where it cannot be brought to the table to deliver, because of these unplanned breakdowns that are occurring.

“If Eskom can be given that space to deliver the new build… as well as improve the performance of its fleet, it can do great things.

“If the private sector can be left to deliver on renewable energy, on gas and new coal and on industrial cogeneration, I think our problems are well within sight of solution."

WATCH: Molefe could be Eskom’s saviour - Yelland

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