How do we fix Eskom?

[Petec]

Dig in Sea Point and you will still find the copper pipes from when they all ran on natural gas.
Why, we are not running our appliances on gas boggles my brain.

 

[Skerminkel]

I partially agree, but the problem is two-fold.

1) Eskom processes, although dictated by their 22-month turnaround from approval to commissioning on any project, their inter-departmental processes is clogged with red tape in the form of KPI's. No department will help another if they don't get measured on it. Effectively giving each other the finger when help is required.

2) The Department of Energy had issued bidding rounds for IPPs. So Eskom reacted where they could, then halfway through, the DoE approves more and more IPPs willy nilly...placing further strain on Eskom's already in-the-pipeline designs, resetting the whole thing. As much as we all love to hate Eskom, this is kind of a dick move and not an easy one for Eskom to solve. How do you build more and bigger lines if you don't have a servitude or funds to do so? Localising IPPs would be the best option.

(No I don't work for Eskom, but reading published magz like Watts On and such will reveal all this info)
...

On paper and within the formal legal and regulatory environment this might be a valid excuse. With more competent and committed officials on both sides, there would have been more constructive consultation between Eskom and DoE. A competent engineering manager on Eskom's side would have been aware of the limitations on the network in his area and arranged for suitable upgrades. I fear that the few remaining good engineers are so swamped with work that they simply cannot cope.

 

[HavocXphere]

If I was in charge of Eskom, my first move would be to breach contract with the giant Smelters who signed long leases at 1980s power fixed rates. This will cause a huuuge legal issue, but it would be with 1 sector and would relieve pressure on the entire grid and economy. Sort of like consolidating debt. Then you focus all your energy and lawyers at tackling that issue while the country has power...also, switch off power to Zim and Moz.

Yeah...despite politician's insistence SA is clearly not going to keep all the balls in the air here...they should make a decisive decision on which ones are going to be dropped now because on the current course they're going to drop all of them.