The true Eskom electricity export figures

[rpm]

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/General/2580.html

 

[AirWolf]

According to Eskom’s latest Annual report – for the year April 2006 to March 2007 – the total electricity sold by Eskom was 218 120 GWh (Gigawatt hour).

The sale of electricity to other countries - which include Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia – amounted to 13 589 GWh. This means that around 6% of Eskom’s total electricity sales were to other countries in Southern Africa.

It is interesting to note that the 13 589 GWh of electricity sold to other countries is higher than the total residential electricity sales in South Africa during the period in question.

The electricity export to other countries exceeded the total output from South Africa’s only nuclear power station Koeberg which produced 11 780 GWh during the last financial year.

Well done Eskom

 

[T3ROR]

Wow only the second post thus far. Ohh I forgot people don't have electricity.

 

[gregmcc]

The article says it all!!!

 

[dionb]

Something wrong on the units GWh which is a 1000 times greater than MW.
Koeberg has 2x900MW Units, thus producing 1800MW.
Maybe where Thabo and the boys missed it....
They applied their shopping/travel expense factor (other execs typical x 1000) and thought they had loads of electricity to give away.

 

[abjater]

Lets play calculus (dont kill me if I got it wrong!):

They sold 13 589 GWh during previous year outside of SA / 365 days = 37.230 GWh per day that was sold. And that = 37 230 mWh per day / 24 hours = 1551 mWatt.
Not making sense now. Too many digits!
Weren't we told export is around 3000 mW ?

How do we get mWh to mWatts? / 24 ??

As dionb said - something is wrong.

 

[TheRoDent]

The calculation is simple (however It's late, and I'm slightly twazzled)

1 GWh = (( 1 MW x 60 (seconds) x 60 (minutes) ) / 1000

The figures in the Eishkom annual report are expressed in GWh, so the amount exported in MW is:

MW's exported =(13589/60/60)*1000
for a total of 3774.7222 MW sold internationally.

e.g. The fscking amount we're short on any day, as you can see on the loadshatting site.

 

[dionb]

Here are some capacities of worth mentioning power stations:
Matla and Kriel each have 6 units of say 500MW each (which I don't think are 600MW each - built in the seventies)
Duhva, Tutuka, Lethabo, Kendal and Matimba are 6x600MB each. (the last 2 may be a touch higher like 660MW, but they may loose efficiency on the air cooling)
Majuba is 2x660MW
Koeberg is 2x900MW
Hendrina is 10x500MW and older than Kriel/Matla

Let's assume Matla & Kriel at 600, and the 660 ones at 600 as well.

That is 7 stations with 6 units each and Majuba with 2
Total (7x6) + 2 = 44 units good for 600MW each = 26400MW
Add Koeberg 1800MW and add Hendrina 5000MW
Total: 33200MW
The assumption on Kendal/Matimba/Majuba (used 600 where they are closer to 660) = this adds another 840MW to capacity.
Brings us close to the 34000MW figure I have seen.
Then there should be the Sterkfontein scheme for peak demands - if it still works.
Also gas turbines outside Cape Town that was intended for peak demand AND to bring Koeberg to a safe shutdown in emergencies - these have not been functional for some years now. Possibly in the last 6-8

Power stations not sure of - Arnot (near Hendrina).
Grootvlei, Komati are moth-balled.
Noticed on AOL that re-commisioning of the moth-balled stations will be app R20billion each... They are actually saying that they did not maintain them which they had to - basically close to scrap metal possibly.

Also keep in mind that in the 80's, it was quite normal to have one unit off for maintenance (Current government note: new word to study). So
a 6 unit station may only have had 5 on-line.

Just for interest - a 600MW boiler consumes about 200t of coal/hr..

 

[dionb]

The calculation is simple (however It's late, and I'm slightly twazzled)

1 GWh = (( 1 MW x 60 (seconds) x 60 (minutes) ) / 1000

The figures in the Eishkom annual report are expressed in GWh, so the amount exported in MW is:

MW's exported =(13589/60/60)*1000
for a total of 3774.7222 MW sold internationally.

e.g. The fscking amount we're short on any day, as you can see on the loadshatting site.

Incorrect.. it is measured and expressed in power/hr.
If you switch on an item that draws 1KW (1000 Watts) for an hour, it will cost you one unit of electricity which is metered in KWh. Assuming an ideal condition of a power factor being 1.
In industry an acceptable factor is 0.8, and I have seen ranging from 0.76 to 0.86. At home I get close to 1 though. It is load dependant - type of load. The 0.76 was observed when they powered up a 1MW surface fan near Sun City - dropped line voltage from 11000 to 7000 initially. Hungry stuff.

In a 24 hour period this item consumes 24 units or 24KW of electricity.

 

[zambussi]

You know there's an easy way to resolve this problem.

Take all the unemployed, put them on bicycles that are fixed on a treadmill (make sure to cement them in place so they don't get stolen) and let them cycle to generate power. They should do this in Zim, then they would have something to export again other than Zimbabweans.........................

 

[Moederloos]

You know there's an easy way to resolve this problem.

Take all the unemployed, put them on bicycles that are fixed on a treadmill (make sure to cement them in place so they don't get stolen) and let them cycle to generate power. They should do this in Zim, then they would have something to export again other than Zimbabweans.........................

All the unemployed? We will be able to power the planet.
And that is just with the Zim refugees.

 

[Pilgrim]

dionb, thanks for the info.

Grootvlei, Komati are moth-balled.
Noticed on AOL that re-commisioning of the moth-balled stations will be app R20billion each... They are actually saying that they did not maintain them which they had to - basically close to scrap metal possibly.

A friend of my brother works at eishkom. He said the both-balled stations were never secured properly and got stripped. They are empty shells, no more.
In a perfect world we could have just gone and dusted them off and turned them on, problem solved. In sa, if you don't bolt it down, lock it up and put 24/7 armed guards around something it simply disappears.

Duhva, Tutuka, Lethabo, Kendal and Matimba are 6x600MB each.

Oops

 

[pkid]

Also gas turbines outside Cape Town that was intended for peak demand AND to bring Koeberg to a safe shutdown in emergencies - these have not been functional for some years now. Possibly in the last 6-8

So they can't get these online quickly? What I don't understand is that is there no way we can go to the companies that supply/build the power stations and say that we are screwed and offer them 200% of their normal bill to get the stuff online quickly?

 

[w1z4rd]

Nicely reported!

 

[Moederloos]

So they can't get these online quickly? What I don't understand is that is there no way we can go to the companies that supply/build the power stations and say that we are screwed and offer them 200% of their normal bill to get the stuff online quickly?

It takes time to build something.
Imagine a simple house. One cannot employ 1000 bricklayers to get it done quicker - there is only so many people that can stand close enough together to work on a wall.
That is rather simplistic, I admit, but hopefully at least a little illuminating.

 

[Tns]

i wonder who is hated more right now telkom and/or eskom

 

[Moederloos]

i wonder who is hated more right now telkom and/or eskom

Eskom.
More people are affected more often and more severely.
Telkom should not smile though - there is a nice place for them at then end of my boot too.

 

[pkid]

Eskom. At least my phone line/ADSL works...

 

[kaspaas]

So they can't get these online quickly? What I don't understand is that is there no way we can go to the companies that supply/build the power stations and say that we are screwed and offer them 200% of their normal bill to get the stuff online quickly?

Concrete takes time to set.

And as others have said: You can only fit a limited number of people in a limited space.

There is also a waiting list for major equipment such as mills (to grind coal to a powder like face powder), boiler equipment and turbines, switchgear, control gear, transformers etc etc etc.

Building the structure is a minor issue compared to the procuring and installing the equipment.

A power station needs to be close to a coal source. It takes time to find coal and start the mine. Usually substantial amounts of top soil (and other waste rock) needs to be removed to expose the coal.

Take into account that in South Africa we don't burn coal in most power stations, but soil containing some coal (ash content often 40%+) which requires special technology to keep a boiler burning and you should realise it is not an easy job which any BEE/AA person could perform.

Not to forget that the bean counters believe they may spend 90% of any project's duration cutting budgets, and then being upset if the project isn't complete on time and the contractor even has the gut to charge "rush fees".

It don't know the cost of power station equipment, but mills could easily go for R10-millions a shot depending on size - the cost indicating the complexity of manufacturing such a unit. There are not many in the world with the capacity to build such units - they are huge.

No sane specialised expat welder would like to work on a project where he knows he will be a crime victim in no time. And so the list can be expanded.

 

[Tns]

Concrete takes time to set.

And as others have said: You can only fit a limited number of people in a limited space.

not if you run them trough a wood chipper first yes it's evil