Eskom warns it may have to shut down 16,000MW after pollution exemptions declined

[Swa]

Let me go outside at this time right now, pretty sure that isn't the sun above my head.
You're also ignoring the costs of decommissioning solar and wind which has to be done in half the time of a nuclear you're also ignoring the fact costs of the supplementary power needed. What do you think that the solar panels are going to last forever? Also what happens at night when the sun doesn't shine? What happens when the wind doesn't blow enough? Like what's happened in the UK recently and even in South Australia? Magic? Is that how renewables will keep going?
Also you renewables always keep saying we can't keep putting the eggs into one basket we must mix, which also increases the costs as now you need more specialized people, equipment and so on.

And here we have it. You keep going with this binary thinking mentality the more it's pointed out like a broken record.
Anti-renewable: "The sun doesn't shine a night."
"But what about the wind?"
Anti-renewable: "The wind doesn't blow that much during the day."

SA is actually one of the best places for renewables. We have sunshine for most of the year and at night the wind usually picks up. But whenever this is brought up we don't hear anything more and the same arguments are rehashed the next time. And no I haven't ignored the cost of deconstructing renewables but as I said you can hardly be serious in comparing that to getting rid of nuclear waste. The costs are so astronomical that no country includes it in their calculations and it's always a problem passed on for future generations.

 

[The Trutherizer]

Of course they'll get the exemption from the minister.
What are the odds Gwede will let a chance pass to set a regressive precedent for coal power.
There're still a bit of patronage money to squeeze out of the old coal station carcases after all.

 

[neoprema]

Massive load-shedding on the cards after Eskom is denied pollution exemptions

Eskom has warned that the refusal of its applications for pollution exemptions at several of its coal-fired power stations would have a "very significant impact" on its ability to provide electricity to the country.

"If implemented, the decision will result in an immediate shutting down of 16,000MW of installed coal-fired capacity," Eskom said in a statement on Tuesday.

Of course Eskom will hold us ransom now. If one thing Africa is good at its NOT PLANNING for anything. Tomorrow is another day, we must steal everything today. Then when tomorrow it all runs out we will blame someone else, usually colonialists.

 

[mypetcow]

1. We are not talking reliability. It's more expensive to maintain with longer maintenance times.
2. You're ignoring the issue. By backup power I actually mean regular additional power from neighbouring states. No country has gone just nuclear without importing power from other sources. It would dramatically increase the costs.
3. Again you don't understand. Of all sources of electricity nuclear is the least dispatchable. So you have to provision for constantly providing peak power.

It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. You keep moving the goal posts from post to post to suit your narrative which is really sad. You do have good points. Maybe check out one of those Coursera electrical engineering courses focusing on power engineering over the Christmas break if you have time…or check out Wikipedia. There are quite a few good resources covering these topics…

 

[Oldfut]

My Zim 2c is that it highlights Eskom's gross incompetence (at best) and blatant refusal to abide by the law; let a small legitimate business try that and it would be fined and closed overnight. The other note is that the pollution control setup is almost, maybe more so, sophisticated than the actual operation, particularly as regards operation and maintenance. Power generation is the proverbial "bonfire in a box" but the emissions cleanup is complicated and specialised; way out of Eskom's current expertise league I would guess.

 

[PaulMurkin]

FYI, my reliable source... who has been right on the money told us this morning that we're going to be hit hard in January... Eskom's going to go full on ram it up your poophole crazy

 

[Gordon_R]

FYI, my reliable source... who has been right on the money told us this morning that we're going to be hit hard in January... Eskom's going to go full on ram it up your poophole crazy

New thread, they've upped the ante:

Eskom warns of continuous stage 8 load-shedding and 30% price hikes if forced to comply with pollution limits

Constant Stage 8 load-shedding and 30% price increases — Eskom warns of pollution limit problems Eskom will be forced to charge 30% more for electricity from next year and potentially implement continuous stage 8 load-shedding if it does not get exemptions from pollution limits at its coal...

mybroadband.co.za

 

[hawker]

FYI, my reliable source... who has been right on the money told us this morning that we're going to be hit hard in January... Eskom's going to go full on ram it up your poophole crazy

I mean if you look at the numbers we should be in like permanent Stage1/Stage2

 

[kolaval]

Realistically what stops Eskom from starting to build more power stations?

 

[Lupus]

Realistically what stops Eskom from starting to build more power stations?

Money

 

[hawker]

Realistically what stops Eskom from starting to build more power stations?

Their debt. Nobody is going to lend them more money at rates that make sense.

Also finding money for coal power stations is pretty tough these days.

 

[HumanShield]

So quite literally their current generating capacity? They've been running the country on less than half of their installed capacity.

 

[Lupus]

So quite literally their current generating capacity? They've been running the country on less than half of their installed capacity.

Actually from the list it's basically the list of those that have been giving issues anyway, they tend to not tell us that 8GW is never ever coming back online and that we have the constant 8GW down for unplanned maintenance or more.

 

[PaulMurkin]

I mean if you look at the numbers we should be in like permanent Stage1/Stage2

That's what I've been saying for months...

 

[PaulMurkin]

New thread, they've upped the ante:

Eskom warns of continuous stage 8 load-shedding and 30% price hikes if forced to comply with pollution limits

Constant Stage 8 load-shedding and 30% price increases — Eskom warns of pollution limit problems Eskom will be forced to charge 30% more for electricity from next year and potentially implement continuous stage 8 load-shedding if it does not get exemptions from pollution limits at its coal...

mybroadband.co.za

Indeed they have, I see it as a purge, and its fine really, this will push my employer to close up shop here and move us overseas- win-win for me, with an immigration application in process too

 

[PaulMurkin]

So quite literally their current generating capacity? They've been running the country on less than half of their installed capacity.

Like I said, the number of "unplanned" on their Twitter "letters" has not changed much since 2019 when I began to check it..

 

[PaulMurkin]

And again...

FOK JOU ESKOM
FOK JOU DE RUYTER

 

[richjdavies]

Realistically what stops Eskom from starting to build more power stations?

Money

Nope... Competence... They have spent 10 years failing to properly build Medupi and Kusile then managed to blow apart one of them!

Eskom CANNOT build power stations.

In the same time IPPs and thousands of cogen suppliers have built thousands of MW without a cent of public money.

 

[Sinbad]

Nope... Competence... They have spent 10 years failing to properly build Medupi and Kusile then managed to blow apart one of them!

Eskom CANNOT build power stations any more

In the same time IPPs and thousands of cogen suppliers have built thousands of MW without a cent of public money.

FTFY.
They used to be the best in the world at that.

 

[Lupus]

FTFY.
They used to be the best in the world at that.

Were they? Were they really? I mean the De Villiers commision in the 80s wasn't thrown together cause Escom/Evkom was performing well in the 80s.