Coal will continue to play a significant role in South Africa’s plan to boost electricity generation over the next decade, with more renewable energy also lined up, mines and energy minister Gwede Mantashe said on Friday.
Mantashe unveiled South Africa’s long-delayed plan for electricity generation until 2030 as the country experienced power cuts for a third day, with power utility Eskom struggling against capacity shortages.
The Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) replaces a previous blueprint not updated for almost a decade and deals with planned electricity generation combined with the energy mix.
“The IRP 2019 supports a diversified energy mix. Coal will continue to play a significant role in electricity generation as the country has the resource in abundance,” Mantashe said.
“New investments will be directed towards more-efficient coal technologies, underground coal gasification and the development of carbon capture and storage to enable us to continue using coal resources in an environmentally responsible way.”
Mantashe said the additional capacity for the energy mix until 2030 would include 1,500 megawatts (MW) from coal, 2,500 MW from hydro, 6,000 MW from photovoltaic, 14,400 MW from wind, 2,088 MW from storage and 3,000 MW from gas.
This will see coal contributing 59 percent of energy volumes, Mantashe said.
Breakdowns at a number of its generating units have forced Eskom to ration power since Wednesday after about seven months without disruptions to the supply of electricity.
Eskom said up to 2,000 MW would be cut from the grid on Friday — more than the 1,000 MW — Acting Chief Executive Jabu Mabuza had indicated on Thursday, when he also said he did not expect further power cuts through the weekend.
Eskom said Medupi units 3, 4 and 5 had gone offline late on Thursday due to coal and ash handling issues which it did not explain further, compounding difficulties caused by the failure of a conveyer belt at the power station on Saturday.
In other news – Eskom’s Jabu Mabuza says he didn’t want his job and didn’t apply for it
The chairperson and acting CEO denies the DA’s claims that Eskom knew load shedding would happen but didn’t come clean.
At a media briefing to explain why load shedding has returned and what Eskom plans to do about it, chairperson and acting CEO Jabu Mabuza responded to a question on whether he is the right person for his job by explaining that he didn’t apply for it and was there due to the decisions of President Cyril Ramaphosa and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan. continue reading
Source: Reuters
