CAPE TOWN, Aug 22 (Reuters) - South Africa has issued a request...

CAPE TOWN, Aug 22 (Reuters) - South Africa has issued a request for proposals to procure 2,000 megawatts of emergency power, a step needed to help plug a severe energy shortage, the department of energy said on Saturday.

South Africa’s state-owned power utility Eskom has been forced to cut power regularly, hobbling economic growth in Africa’s most industrialised country as unreliable coal-fired plants struggle to generate enough electricity to meet demand.

Scheduled blackouts, known as load shedding, have resumed as South Africa has eased strict lockdown restrictions to contain the new coronavirus and has re-opened power-hungry industries, such as mining, in a bid to kick-start a weak economy.

During load shedding, which is meant to protect the national power grid from complete collapse, residents and businesses are typically left without electricity for a couple of hours at a time.

In February, Turkey’s Karpowership, one of the world’s largest suppliers of floating power plants, said it had submitted plans to provide “several” ships capable of alleviating the country’s power shortages.

https://www.reuters.com/article/safrica-energy/south-africa-seeks-proposals-for-2000-mw-of-emergency-power-idUSL8N2FO0QU

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Ash here.

Burning fuel oil to generate electricity, even at the current low oil prices, will throw the cost of SA aluminium smelting into stark relief. Stand by for suspension, maybe closure.

Ash