The true reason why there is no load shedding in South Africa

[rpm]

The real reason why there is no load shedding in South Africa

Energy analyst Chris Yelland reveals the real reason why Eskom was able to stop load shedding in recent months.

 

[BTTB]

In recent months all the Resource Companies have been tanking on the JSE due to much poorer international commodity prices which stems no doubt from a lower demand for those resources.
I think the big Resource Companies like BHP Billiton and the like are using less power at their smelters as a result.

This coupled with consumers cutting back on their consumption to save on the hefty electricity bills has probably added to the drop in demand too. However the residential consumers are probably just a small fraction of the overall demand for power from the grid, meaning a big drop in residential use may only equate to the difference between Stage 1 load shedding and no load shedding.
I think if one or two smelters are switched off by a Resource Company would equate to a large drop in the total demand off the grid.

I assume Koeberg Unit 2 is back up after 3 months of compulsory maintenance, that would most certainly stabilise the grid too.

So who knows. What can be said is we have to question everything Eskom tells us and I am glad people like Yelland are around to point out the obvious.

This drop in demand, is this a trend, if so why are we building more Power Stations. Might be a silly thing to say now after our recent history but still a valid point. Once the two big Coal Power Stations are built and connected to the grid, it may well be that we have an oversupply of electricity and set out the need for Nuclear Power Stations.
Maybe one more base load Nuclear Power Station on the coast is needed to stabilise the grid, Koeberg will not last forever. It does make sense to have Nuclear on the coast due to the fact all the coal is up in the North.
Please let this not end up being about whether Nuclear is good or not, my point is that the grid needs base load power stations at the extremities of Eskom's reach, the reach being the distance away from all the base load Coal Power Stations.

Could Eskom not build another Nuclear Power Station at Koeberg, keeping all the fish in one basket type of thing?

 

[Milano]

We have seen this data before. There was no increase in demand since something like 2011. That is more worrying than load shedding but ANC votes are more important than the economy. ANC first.

 

[MickZA]

Whatever the reason I'm grateful, just experienced 14hrs without electricity due to a local fault - not at all funny.

 

[Lazy]

Don't you just love it when someone (Yelland) applies rational thinking and makes a statement that quite literally makes sense without saying it in some contorted brainteaser kind of way, only for his statement to be answered by someone who knows nothing about nothing (Molefe) who answers it in a way that reminds me of throwing the entire workshop's tools on the floor while saying "pick one".

Please, for the love of all that is good, explain to me how "slower economic growth" means we don't need the same amount of electricity as we needed a month or a day before. All that economic growth *can* refer to is how much additional power Eskom would need to provision to keep up with what is there already.

Maybe Molefe got his math knowledge from Zuma's pre-speech cram-session notes.

 

[pboy]

this Yelland ****!

 

[Milano]

Bets on how long until No. 1's henchmen label him a bloody agent working for the CIA?

 

[Chris.Geerdts]

I assume Koeberg Unit 2 is back up after 3 months of compulsory maintenance, that would most certainly stabilise the grid too

On what did you base that assumption? Molefe's Tetris presentation indicated Koeberg 2 would power up end of next week.

 

[BTTB]

On what did you base that assumption? Molefe's Tetris presentation indicated Koeberg 2 would power up end of next week.

On a memory of reading something a few months ago, November it would come back online.
This is not correct as it will be only mid December it seems. http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politics/koeberg-2-to-be-down-for-twoandahalf-months--eskom

 

[LaraC]

Why do demand fluctuate so much? Shouldn't demand remain relatively stable with gradual ups and downs?

 

[Swa]

We all know the real reason, Eskom isn't asking for an increase.

 

[Johnatan56]

Why do demand fluctuate so much? Shouldn't demand remain relatively stable with gradual ups and downs?

Weather, heaters get turned on/off.
Companies have people only working during the week.
It's just a lot of factors to take into account.

@BTTB preferably no to another nuclear reactor. Koeberg is way to close to a major population center with only one direction of evcuation possible.
Koeberg is old enough that it should be decommissioned already, but latest by ~2020ish. It is hampering expansion of the city and is quite a threat to safety.

 

[Pitbull]

Load shedding is nothing but a black mail tactic played every time they want money. Nothing more nothing less.

 

[The_Librarian]

Slower economic growth is not good for us.

 

[Ninja'd]

This article is jinxed. I'm expecting a load shedding announcement shortly :twisted:

 

[LaraC]

Weather, heaters get turned on/off.
Companies have people only working during the week.
It's just a lot of factors to take into account.
/snip

What is the difference between demand and use? Fluctuations in usage is understandable.

 

[pinball wizard]

What is the difference between demand and use?.

Yeah, what is the difference?

Don't we demand what we use, and use what we demand?

 

[ellyally]

Yeah, what is the difference?

Don't we demand what we use, and use what we demand?

Hmmm, I'd say demand is what I want to use, but I can only use what is supplied. So, my demand would be higher than my use based on what can be supplied.(if that makes sense?)

Anyway, true reason there no load shedding is JZ deployed another incompetent buddy to control the load shedding switch, and like the rest, he's incompetent and can't do his job.