Cape Town - Energy expert Chris Yelland on Monday took to twitter to list his 15-point suggested plan to Eskom CEO Tshediso Matona to address the electricity crisis.
He tweeted that he was doing his list while sitting in the dark in the Southern Drakensberg (Underberg area) due to load shedding there.
His advice to Matona is:
1. Stop the further increase in unplanned generator outages by increased planned maintenance outages, even if this means increased load shedding.
2. Increase efficiency and reduce time taken for planned outages, by closer involvement of OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), even if this increases cost of maintenance.
3. Work towards reducing generator maintenance backlog to begin to reduce the current unacceptable level of unplanned breakdowns.
4. Press on with Medupi and Kusile to bring these on-stream without any further delays.
5. Introduce independent system and market operator without delay, and remove barriers to entry of IPPs (independent power producers) of all technologies.
6. Remove barriers to entry for industrial, commercial and domestic co-generation, including solar PV, biomass, discard coal and other waste.
7. Remove all barriers to access to the grid, including barriers to wheeling of power across the grid by IPPs and large electricity users.
8. More than 80% of the electricity (kWh) supplied by Eskom to the residents and businesses of Soweto is either stolen or remains unpaid.
9. Require Eskom to purchase imported LNG (liquefied natural gas) for its OCGTs (open cycle gas turbines) in the Cape, as well as the DoE OCGTs in KZN and Coega.
10. Private sector to build offshore LNG terminals, gasification plants and pipelines in KZN, Coega and Cape Town to kick-start gas power industry.
11. Campaign by politicians, officials, Eskom, municipalities, police, justice and correctional services to reduce electricity theft and non-payment.
12. Introduce domestic time-of-use tariffs to incentivise and penalise users who change consumption patterns to reduce morning and evening peaks.
13. Introduce ripple control receivers nationally as mature, low-cost, proven technology to control electric geysers and swimming pool pumps.
14. National campaign of power factor correction to improve the national PF and reduce generator, transformer, cable and line loading and losses.
15. Raise capital and improve Eskom’s balance sheet by selling power station assets and listing Eskom as a public company on the stock exchange.
By the way, I am sitting here tweeting in the dark in the Southern Drakensberg (Underberg area) due to #Eskom loadshedding here!
— Chris Yelland (@chrisyelland) December 8, 2014
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LIVE: Eskom load shedding briefing
Matona: Complete blackout is not an option
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