Eskom’s diesel problem
https://businesstech.co.za/news/energy/733683/why-load-shedding-is-back-to-stage-6/#:~:text=Minister%20in%20the%20presidency%20for,run%20through%20its%20emergency%20reserves.
Another view on the move to stage 6 load shedding "outages" (In November 2023) comes from the Eskom, South African, power utility’s excessive use of its open cycle gas turbines (OCGT), which have been burning through diesel at unsustainable levels and may have forced Eskom to escalate outages due to supplies running low.
According to independent energy analyst Pieter Jordaan, Eskom’s OCGT utilisation rate for the last week was 40% – and on Sunday, 19 November, it was 63%.
This is far above the 6% mark allowed for by energy regulator Nersa.
“Most of Sunday’s OCGT generation was used to replenish pumped storage, adding a 33% premium (due to the inherent energy losses of pumping) to the near R7 per kWh cost,” he said, “At these rates, the utility will run out of diesel supplies and may be forced to ramp up load shedding, should the high breakdown levels (33.6% for Week 46) persist.”
Pick 'n Pay's Diesel Problem
Pickn Pay chair warns of food shortages and social unrest if rolling blackouts escalate
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-05-04-pick-n-pay-chairperson-warns-of-possible-food-shortages-and-social-unrest-if-rolling-blackouts-escalate/
South Africa's entire food industry is under existential threat, with a high likelihood of social unrest relating to foodshortages and possible store closures if blackouts are escalated, Pick n Paychairperson Gareth Ackerman has warned.
Pick n Payis the first of the major South African retailers to report financial resultsthat cover a substantial period of the latest bout of rolling blackouts, butNorth said all retailers were in the same boat.
“We reckon that the net costof burning diesel this year, at the rates of load shedding that we have beenseeing in the first couple of months of this year, will be around a billionrand.”
