The EAF data further showed that Tutuka (26%), rife with corruption and mismanagement, has a much worse EAF than other power stations of the same age, like Lethabo (74%) and Matimba (75%).<\/p>\n
It clearly illustrates that age is not significant in EAF but rather how well the power station is managed.<\/p>\n
Therefore, Eskom and other stakeholders should stop using the convenient excuse of old power plants for poor performance.<\/p>\n
Instead, they should focus on improving performance through better management, rooting out corruption, and stopping sabotage.<\/p>\n
The chart below shows the EAF of Eskom\u2019s coal-fired power plants, ordered from newest to oldest. It reveals no strong correlation between age and performance.<\/p>\n
Another analysis by Daily Investor also showed that the age of a power station does not automatically result in higher breakdown rates and a lower EAF.<\/p>\n We compared the performance of Eskom\u2019s Tutuka and Duvha power stations with two US-based coal power stations \u2013 Wansley and Scherer. These power stations are roughly the same age.<\/p>\n If Eskom\u2019s claim of ageing infrastructure causing a significant deterioration in performance is true, the US and South African power stations should show similar trends.<\/p>\n A significant difference in performance points to other factors, like poor maintenance, mismanagement, and a lack of skills.<\/p>\n From 2009 to 2021, Eskom\u2019s Tutuka and Duvha had an average EAF of 64% and 56%, respectively. It means that since 2009 they were only available for 64% and 56% of the time they were needed.<\/p>\n In 2021, Tutuka and Duvha had average EAFs of 37% and 44%, respectively. It is expected to have been worse in 2022.<\/p>\n Wansley and Scherer, in comparison, had an average EAF of 90% and 89%, respectively, over the same period. They were, therefore, available for 90% and 89% of the time they were needed.<\/p>\n An interesting observation is that Scherer and Wansley had an upward trend in their EAF figures as time progressed.<\/p>\n The large differential suggests that ageing infrastructure can still be reliable. With regular maintenance and using the latest technology, their performance can even improve.<\/p>\n The chart below shows the performance over time of the two power stations in the United States compared with Eskom\u2019s Tutuka and Duvha.<\/p>\n This article was first published by Daily Investor<\/a><\/strong> and is republished with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n For many years, Eskom has been telling South Africans that its ageing coal-fired power station fleet is the main reason for the high breakdown levels and load-shedding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":341108,"featured_media":484769,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80335],"tags":[74166,181,35,51867],"class_list":["post-487807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-investing","tag-energy-availability-factor-eaf","tag-eskom","tag-headline","tag-loadshedding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487807"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/341108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=487807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/484769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=487807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=487807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=487807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Eskom-power-station-average-EAF-and-age.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nSouth Africa versus United States<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nNow read:\u00a0Eskom appoints head of generation, effective immediately<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"