https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Engineers need not apply

13th June 2014

By: Terry Mackenzie-hoy

  

Font size: - +

Boys and girls, how about this: the peak load in the Western Cape that is supplied by Eskom is 3 860 MW (this excludes the load that is being supplied by Steenbras pump storage).

The peak demand south of Hydra is 6 035 MW (Western Cape 3 860 MW, Eastern Cape 1 414 MW, Northern Cape 760 MW). The transfer limit of the Eskom transmission system to the Western Cape with no Koeberg generation is 2 900 MW and, supplying into Hydra, it is 4 000 MW.

The 2900 MW transfer limit is a secure limit that allows for another worst contingency. This is a requirement of the Koeberg off-site supply reliability criteria – because the transmission network is heavily loaded and the Western Cape is at the end of a very long radial network . . . yada, yada, yada.

All sounds a bit too complicated to you? One can hardly imagine how it sounds to new Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown and Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson. There is no limit to the amount of wither in the scorn that I can pour on their appointment. If the sole criteria for the two leaders of electrical and energy supply and distribution was that they have never ever held any post which remotely dealt with electricity and energy supply and distribution, then the two would score handsomely. Full marks for never having been involved in the subject matter.

Eskom reports to Brown. According to Wikipedia, her achievements include the fact that she “was a board member of the National Literacy Project and is currently a board member of the Extramural Education Project. She initiated, and was director of, the Women’s College in 1990. In 1994 and again in 1999 she was elected as an African National Congress (ANC) Member of the Western Cape Provincial Legislature. She was chairperson of the standing committees on Community Services and on Health and Welfare, and served as an ANC whip and chief whip in the legislature”. Sadly, nothing about “she keeps tabs on making sure Eskom doesn’t stuff things up . . .”.

On the other hand, Joemat-Pettersson was criticised by the Public Protector for a “R800-million waste of taxpayers money”. Do we really want this sort of reputation to now intrude into the energy sector of this country? One has to wonder about the reasons for Joemat-Pettersson’s appointment. Her predecessor, Dikobe Ben Martins, is qualified in law and is a practising artist. She is also qualified in law. A law qualification does not, however, allow you to understand how a catalytic cracker works.

The question is: Does it matter? Is knowledge of detail necessary? The answer is: yes, yes it does. It is not possible for any person to exercise adequate influence in any sector of government control if they do not really know how things in that sector work. The tragedy is that Eskom is really battling along. The ruling party, by buying into Hitachi to supply boilers to the latest power station, Medupi, messed things up to the nth degree. Even the party realised this, now having sold its interest to Mitsubishi.

Earlier, government interference prevented Eskom from building new power stations in time. Government policy gave away power at a discount to various aluminium smelters. A succession of Ministers with the Energy portfolio have stumbled along, keeping up the long tradition of appointing either lawyers or the hopelessly unqualified (in one case, a rugby scrum half) to the energy portfolio.

The thinking behind these appointments is hard to fathom but seems to be based on the belief that Ministers can do no harm, even if they can do little good. The tragedy is that, sometime, one day, the air will become black with the wings of chickens coming home to roost. That one day, the Minister of Public Enterprises and the Minister of Energy will commit this country to something so colossally stupid that it will cause more national financial damage than a herd of buffalo covered in bubble gum. And then, somebody will say: “What was the reason for these appointments? Why did we appoint a lawyer and a teacher to these positions of influence?” But it will be too late.

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

Comments

Showroom

Booyco Electronics
Booyco Electronics

Booyco Electronics, South African pioneer of Proximity Detection Systems, offers safety solutions for underground and surface mining, quarrying,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
SMS group
SMS group

At SMS group, we have made it our mission to create a carbon-neutral and sustainable metals industry.

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.095 0.146s - 146pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now