Eskom's big blunder - How poor decisions and corruption caused load-shedding

"Additionally, the Special Investigating Unit is currently looking into the theft of R170 billion from Eskom: R139 billion of which is related to 11 contractors who helped build the Medupi, Kusile, and Ingula power plants."

Tar and feather those fcks. Let the nation light a match. And then you fckerment, divert all taxes to fix your fckup.
No more taxes to education, poor fcks, salary increases, bonusses, increase tarriffs etc.
 
And on TV this morning Ted Blom in an interview revealed a few more pearls of wisdom from the three stooges yesterday, Bennie Boekwurm, Karel Kraai, and the stooge in the middle.

(1) The three stooges believe they can control and limit LS to stage 1 ---- They can't if the network requires more LS to prevent meltdown, it will - They can't control the LS process.
(2) Transformer maintenance was discussed and some or other hair brained reason was given why the transformers are blowing up. Ted Blom revealed the real reason ---- Transformers require oil replacement once a year, then they can basically last forever. What The current geniuses did was abandon the transformer monitoring system set up to ensure regular oil replacement, which meant NO oil replacements are being done, and that then leads to the blow-ups. He asserted that this again IS just another corruption case because the suppliers of transformers would now get richer as a result. When the oil is replaced, their profits are lower.
(3) A team of local experts has been presented to the three stooges to assist with getting Eskom back on their feet. However, that team has not been considered suitable --- you can all guess why. No way will the current ANC government ever admit that the current and previous management in Eskom since 1994, is just plain and simply incapable of ever understanding what is required to save Eskom.
 
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On the transformer topic. We had one popping the other night. And guess what they did ? Took an oil sample to go and check what was the problem. I kid you not.
 
HunterNW said:
On the transformer topic. We had one popping the other night. And guess what they did ? Took an oil sample to go and check what was the problem. I kid you not.
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Strangely I can believe this.... which is quite sad
 
Very High Level Corrution /Fraud started when large entities suddenly was unable to things they done for as long as they existed. The seeds were planted as trends in the boardrooms and outsourcing was born to channel money, that must have been during the 1990-Ties worldwide, leeding to joblosses cost hikes in numerious ways and the digital fairytale coming made it a breeze. They could not foree the serious Symtoms coming and ploghed ahead in this fantacy world of riches which will last into eternity, thats was the selling point of the trend. Poorly understood worldwide.
 
Moto Guzzi said:
Very High Level Corrution /Fraud started when large entities suddenly was unable to things they done for as long as they existed. The seeds were planted ........
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When under the previous regime Eskom decided to centralise ALL coal burning power stations close to the coal -- in the TRANSVAAL
Even though NORTHERN Natal HAD coal -- none were built in this province
The exisitng power stations in Natal -- Pinetown and Colenso were closed / mothballed / demolished
Never mind that tons of coal are railed to Durban and Richards bay -- for EXPORT !

The "skewed" thinking as well as the ideology driving the economics -- in the OLD regime -- were in some ways similar to that of the NEW regime = GOVERNMENT CONTROL !
 
Moto Guzzi said:
Very High Level Corrution /Fraud started when large entities suddenly was unable to things they done for as long as they existed. The seeds were planted as trends in the boardrooms and outsourcing was born to channel money, that must have been during the 1990-Ties worldwide, leeding to joblosses cost hikes in numerious ways and the digital fairytale coming made it a breeze. They could not foree the serious Symtoms coming and ploghed ahead in this fantacy world of riches which will last into eternity, thats was the selling point of the trend. Poorly understood worldwide.
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REALLY hard to take you seriously if you cannot English
 
HunterNW said:
On the transformer topic. We had one popping the other night. And guess what they did ? Took an oil sample to go and check what was the problem. I kid you not.
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Don’t forget the sensitive subject of overloading and wrong settings. Oh, and stolen earthing copper cables and bridged out overloads.....
It is easier than building than new substations.
 
MidnightWizard said:
When under the previous regime Eskom decided to centralise ALL coal burning power stations close to the coal -- in the TRANSVAAL
Even though NORTHERN Natal HAD coal -- none were built in this province
The exisitng power stations in Natal -- Pinetown and Colenso were closed / mothballed / demolished
Never mind that tons of coal are railed to Durban and Richards bay -- for EXPORT !

The "skewed" thinking as well as the ideology driving the economics -- in the OLD regime -- were in some ways similar to that of the NEW regime = GOVERNMENT CONTROL !
Click to expand...

Natal coal fields have been depleted with most being anthracite anyway.
 
MidnightWizard said:
When under the previous regime Eskom decided to centralise ALL coal burning power stations close to the coal -- in the TRANSVAAL
Even though NORTHERN Natal HAD coal -- none were built in this province
The exisitng power stations in Natal -- Pinetown and Colenso were closed / mothballed / demolished
Never mind that tons of coal are railed to Durban and Richards bay -- for EXPORT !

The "skewed" thinking as well as the ideology driving the economics -- in the OLD regime -- were in some ways similar to that of the NEW regime = GOVERNMENT CONTROL !
Click to expand...
So you have personal insight into the analysis done at the time about the decision to locate power stations close to the mines in the one case and not to build coal fired power stations at the coal sources in Natal do you?
Secondly, the decision to centralise power generation under one entity called Eskom, which led to ALL power stations under municipal control to either being taken over by Eskom or demolished?

If you do, table the info and then we can debate it and THEN see how relevant it is to the current situation.
 
REAList_1 said:
Natal coal fields have been depleted with most being anthracite anyway.
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Coal is not the only requirement for a power station, water is too. Medupi is dry cooled, but see how that worked out!? I have no idea if the conditions in KZN might have been suitable, but the decisions to build in Mpumalanga would not have been an arbitrary one.
 
Gordon_R said:
Coal is not the only requirement for a power station, water is too. Medupi is dry cooled, but see how that worked out!? I have no idea if the conditions in KZN might have been suitable, but the decisions to build in Mpumalanga would not have been an arbitrary one.
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Matimba is also air cooled and it's been going well. At least it was several years ago, right next to Medupi.
 
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Funny you should mention water.

Eskom is one the countries largest water users, if not the largest single user of water in the country.

Medupi and Kusile are both in water scarce environments, but need excessive amounts of water to run. They're both white elephants in more ways than one.

Both plants, when fully built will *each* consume 26 million cubic meters of water annually (6.9 billion gallons), in regions where fresh water is already in short supply.

Eskom guesstimates the need for to build a $200m, 121km pipeline that supplies water from the Vaal River to Kusile, and a $1bn project to build two pipelines covering 209km, pumping stations, and other water supply and storage infrastructure that taps the Crocodile and Mokolo rivers for Medupi.

There are strong doubts that the Vaal storage system nor the Crocodile or Mokolo rivers have sufficient water in the 2020s and beyond to sustain agriculture, a fast-growing population, existing industries, and two gigantic power plants. Thats even without a drought.

The Vaal is also completely hosed now from upstream pollution and sewage. Thank VBS, corrupt Muni's, Sasol, and the many squatter camps that literally shít and píss into the water.

Electricity -> Pollution. No Water. Go Eskom. Go RSA.
 
Gordon_R said:
Coal is not the only requirement for a power station, water is too. Medupi is dry cooled, but see how that worked out!? I have no idea if the conditions in KZN might have been suitable, but the decisions to build in Mpumalanga would not have been an arbitrary one.
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Huh...
Water can be pumped over vast distances. Eskom has laid a BIG pipeline to feed their power stations.
Btw I’m a coal miner who spent many years working on power station mines.
 
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