SA's future shrouded in darkness

[rpm]

SA's future shrouded in darkness

Power load shedding could last up to 12 hours at a time, as giant aluminium smelters consume discounted electricity with abandon.

 

[lived666]

SA's future shrouded in darkness

Power load shedding could last up to 12 hours at a time, as giant aluminium smelters consume discounted electricity with abandon.

I assume you mean 12 hour blackouts?
Anyhow as long as the huge Aluminium smelters are fine with the massively discounted rates. It's not like say the EFF would even think of burning them down.

 

[LaraC]

Contracts are agreements between two parties. If one was foolish enough to accept loses when it was signed they shouldn’t complain later that it is detrimental to their bottom line.

Government could negotiate with the smelters to reduce their usage at fair compensation.

 

[Lager]

Soon we'll consider the lights being on as a luxury

 

[Sneeky]

Cast your minds back to around 2006 when Eskom signed another long term contract with Alcan for the Coega smelter.
Alec Erwin at the helm.
Thabo Mbeki said that year there is no electricity crisis, 2 years later he stood before the nation and apologized for the almighty f### up that was load shedding. According to Ivo Vegters research for his article, about the only thing bra Thabo ever apologized for.

Imagine if that Coega project went ahead and Alcan never pulled out, we would really be screwed.

 

[Arthur]

We should not fall into the trap of demonizing or scapegoating the Richard's Bay alu shelters. They are not to blame, and neither should they be forced to pay the price of Eskom's folly.

You can't just cut an alu smelter for a few hours. If the pots run cold, they're basically dead lumps of unusable metal, and the minimum restart bill is around R30m.

 

[deweyzeph]

Blom said another way to reduce the strain on the grid was to allow greater take-up of rooftop solar power by households.

What a strange statement. Since when do households need to be "allowed" to use solar power?

 

[Unhappy1]

What a strange statement. Since when do households need to be "allowed" to use solar power?

Its strange because you haven't read it properly. Not allowed to be used but allow for greater take up, possibly with things like rebates and or net metering.

 

[Iroiro]

What a strange statement. Since when do households need to be "allowed" to use solar power?

Allowing people to feed excess power into the grid would allow greater uptake of solar power. The energy storage, i.e. batteries, for a home solar power setup, are prohibitively expensive.

 

[AstroTurf]

We should not fall into the trap of demonizing or scapegoating the Richard's Bay alu shelters. They are not to blame, and neither should they be forced to pay the price of Eskom's folly.

You can't just cut an alu smelter for a few hours. If the pots run cold, they're basically dead lumps of unusable metal, and the minimum restart bill is around R30m.

Yep.

Each time eskom kills our power for longer than 2 hours the diecasters and the induction furnaces all have a wonderful time.

So many cracked crucibles due to sudden heat drops as well.
2 hours off = 4 hours to get back to heat and 6 + hours wasted (if nothing breaks).

 

[AstroTurf]

We should not fall into the trap of demonizing or scapegoating the Richard's Bay alu shelters. They are not to blame, and neither should they be forced to pay the price of Eskom's folly.

You can't just cut an alu smelter for a few hours. If the pots run cold, they're basically dead lumps of unusable metal, and the minimum restart bill is around R30m.

Yep.

Each time eskom kills our power for longer than 2 hours the diecasters and the induction furnaces all have a wonderful time.

So many cracked crucibles due to sudden heat drops as well.
2 hours off = 4 hours to get back to heat and 6 + hours wasted (if nothing breaks).

 

[Compton_effect]

As if those smelters would still be standing if they were the reasons for the blackouts...

 

[Nod]

Its strange because you haven't read it properly. Not allowed to be used but allow for greater take up, possibly with things like rebates and or net metering.

"Allowed" is the wrong word to use. "Encourage" or "incentivise" would have been more appropriate.

 

[Unhappy1]

"Allowed" is the wrong word to use. "Encourage" or "incentivise" would have been more appropriate.

All three words are fine to use.

 

[daveza]

If Billiton was shut down how much would this free up ?

 

[Albereth]

We should not fall into the trap of demonizing or scapegoating the Richard's Bay alu shelters. They are not to blame, and neither should they be forced to pay the price of Eskom's folly.

You can't just cut an alu smelter for a few hours. If the pots run cold, they're basically dead lumps of unusable metal, and the minimum restart bill is around R30m.

Turn them off - the cost of paying for the smelters is chicken feed compared to the cost to the rest of the economy.

This is simple maths.

 

[daveza]

Turn them off - the cost of paying for the smelters is chicken feed compared to the cost to the rest of the economy.

This is simple maths.

Eskom (we) are paying R 1 billion a month for diesel - partly to keep the smelters going. The same smelters who are apparently getting power at less than the cost to produce it.

 

[LaraC]

If Billiton was shut down how much would this free up ?

They use ±1GW. In another thread members said they are not the only smelters that are in use.

 

[vaakseun]

One of SA's two largest smelters, Billiton Bayside was shut down end of last year. Hillside smelter still going and we're still supplying Mozal in Mozambique as far as I know.

 

[Musicmp3]

Frankly I dont give a ****e about the smelters.

Probably contracts with massive kickbacks which is now part of the problem of no power. Suffice to say those who did the deal are long gone..........