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Difficult choices have to be made to resolve the energy crisis, says electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, adding that it is undermining the energy sovereignty of this country.
The minister was speaking at a briefing on Thursday, during which he provided an overview of his recent visits to Eskom's 15 power stations.
Ramokgopa, who was appointed in March, was accompanied by a team from the department of public enterprises, who he praised for their support throughout the visit.
Giving a broad overview of the situation, Ramokgopa said South Africa was faced with demand far outstripping supply.
He said Eskom's installed fleet had more than 52GW of generating capacity, but at the moment operational efficiency stood at about 53%.
“That explains why there's that gap ... between generation and demand. We are trying to close that gap.
“Our initial computation suggests we need ... about 6,000MW [to do so]. This is a determination made on summer conditions. I make a point about summer conditions because on average, Eskom can guarantee us about 27,000MW and we know the peak demand around summer is about 32,000MW. Now we are entering winter, which is going to be a very difficult period.
“The numbers suggest that historically, the average [demand] is about 35,000MW, but it can go up to about 37,000MW. The worst-case scenario [is] we're not able to improve on this 27,000MW,” he said.
Outlining some of the options on the table, the minister said the first would be to ramp up generating capacity, the second to bring down demand and the third to do both, which was preferable.
He added that he would provide the cabinet with a detailed report on the options by the end of April and the final decision would rest there.
Another stumbling block, said Ramokgopa, was staff morale, with some of Eskom's most talented employees mulling an exit from the utility for better opportunities, and the anticipated closure of older power stations also taking a toll.
“The best you need to run these plants don't see their future at Eskom and it's a conversation we must have.”
Giving an overall assessment of the energy crisis, Ramokgopa said: “We are sitting with an energy crisis that is undermining the energy sovereignty of this country. People are out of jobs, the economy is on its knees, businesses are closing, farmers can't produce, the poor are disproportionally affected.
“There are very difficult and hard choices that have to be made going forward.”
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