Hayibo Eskom part 2: Eskom delighted by new euphemisms for total incompetence

Another piece of satire from Hayibo.com:

Eskom delighted by new euphemisms for total incompetence

JOHANNESBURG. Power utility Eskom says it is delighted with its latest euphemism, released to the media last week. According to the press release, “unplanned power cuts could occur at very short notice”, which Eskom says is a state-of-the-art way of describing the total failure of the power grid, for no reason, with nobody held accountable.

Eskom spokesman Sparks Maponya said the corporation has been concerned for some time how an already stressed public would respond to the news that the national power grid was about to collapse without notice at any moment.

“Focus groups suggested that our Inevitable Failure Scenario Announcement would not sufficiently reassure the nation,” said Maponya.

According to Maponya, this announcement, to be sent automatically to all media in the event of a total collapse of the grid, would have read, ‘The grid, it is broken. No, I don’t know. I just work here. I’m on lunch. No, I don’t know. Okay bye.’

But Maponya said the new press release had already achieved its goal by “not causing widespread civil pandemonium”.

Visit Hayibo.com to read on >>

Energy News - Regional Electricity Distributors should be scrapped

DA minerals and energy spokesperson Hendrik Schmidt issued a statement last Tuesday reiterating the DA’s call that Regional Electricity Distributers (REDs) should be scrapped. You might recall a previous video post about why RED 1 failed.

Similar problems again surfaced during a electricity distribution maintenance summit last week. South African Local Government Association revealed an estimated R25 billion maintenance backlog, largely due to the uncertainty around the establishment of the REDs.

Said Schmidt, “Billions in maintenance backlogs is yet another reason why REDs must be done away with. It is evident that urgent maintenance in distribution networks is needed before the whole electricity sector collapses.”

He added that the Democratic Alliance had advocated the introduction of a well-defined Distribution Charter, which would spell out the full functions and standards expected of electricity service providers.

“In addition to this, greater authority must be placed with the electricity regulator to both monitor and enforce compliance with the Distribution Charter,” Schmidt concluded.

Lighter side of load shedding - Hayibo, Eskom

This story was in our inbox this morning - had to google the headline to discover that it comes from a satirical site (if not mistaken, run by Tom Eaton) called Hayibo:

Blackouts back as Eskom caught off-guard by shock cooling called ‘winter’

JOHANNESBURG. A week after announcing that loadshedding would be halted, Eskom says an unexpected change in the Earth’s axis has plunged the country into a time of cold and darkness, prompting possible future power cuts. The phenomenon, identified by scientists as “winter”, has reportedly caused widespread panic at the utility.

Addressing journalists at Eskom’s Megawatt Park headquarters this morning, spokesman Eddie Motsepe apologised to consumers in advance for possible power outages, but said that the dramatic shift in the planet’s rotational alignment could not have been foreseen by the power provider.

“We are as confused and frightened as our consumers,” he said. “At this time all we know is that Earth has tilted over, and as such the southern hemisphere is no longer being struck by the full force of the sun’s rays.”

He said Eskom officials had confirmed that this phenomenon was known to the science community, and that it was called “winter”.

“We phoned the Geography department at the University of the Witwatersrand, and they told us,” he said.

He said he did not know whether or not “winter” would be permanent, but said the utility was preparing for the worst.

Visit Hayibo to read on…

Energy news - budget vote season at Parliament

The past four weeks have seen Parliament debating the budget votes of the national departments - an annual ritual and a busy time of year for the National Assembly - and Friday was the turn of Minerals and Energy .

Unsurprisingly, DA minerals and energy spokesperson Hendrik Schmidt put the energy crisis front-and-centre in his speech in the debate, saying that the department had been affected by some of the worst crises since 1994.

“It was Cabinet who took the decision not to allow Eskom to expand its generation capacity in order to lure private investment,” said Schmidt. “It was Eskom who warned government that South Africa would run out of power in 2007/8 followed by a failure by Cabinet to heed this advice. It was government who failed to restructure the electricity regulatory environment to attract private business - which was expected to invest billions of rand over a return of a period of 30-40 years. It is shortsightedness, lack of political leadership and vision as well as a failure by this government to give practical effect to the reality of the decision to attract private investment that has lead to the current crisis.”

He reiterated the DA’s call for an independent inquiry into Eskom’s management, and for the restructuring of the electricity sector to encourage private sector investment - a view echoed by a top business group this week.

Eskom was also a key focus of DA spokesperson on public enterprises Manie van Dyk’s speech in that department’s budget vote debate in May.

DA praises public private wind energy initiative

The Democratic alliance last week praised the Darling Wind Farm as an excellent example of how public-private partnerships - a key component of the DA’s vision of an Open Opportunity Society For All - can lead to greater investment in the energy sector.

“The role of the private sector in an Open Opportunity Society is to both complement and support the state through the provision of expertise and funding,” said DA minerals and energy spokeperson Hendrik Schmidt. “The state is then the facilitator of opportunities and not the sole provider.”

He also said that the Darling Wind Farm was the first renewable energy initiative in South Africa to produce electricity from wind and sell it on a commercial basis.

“The City of Cape Town has signed a power purchase agreement for the next twenty years with the Darling Wind Farm.”

Load shedding news - DA welcomes NERSA findings on Eskom Management

The Democratic Alliance last week welcomed the findings of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (NERSA’s) Inquify into the Power Supply Shortages & Load Shedding. DA public enterprises spokesperson Manie van Dyk said NERSA’s report gave official recognition to the managment problems the DA had highlighted in the past.

“NERSA has labeled Eskom’s management as complicit in the crisis amid the mismanagement of power station maintenance and coal stockpiles,” Van Dyk said. “As such, the DA will be calling for a debate in Parliament on whether a change in Eskom management is due - not least because of a need to restore the confidence of consumers, who have to shoulder the financial cost of Eskom mismanagement.”

Read more… click here for the full statement on the DA’s website.

Parliamentary question on daylight saving as a means of saving energy

DA environmental affairs spokesperson Gareth Morgan asked the following question about daylight saving as a means of conserving energy during peak periods:

Mr. G Morgan (DA) to ask the Minister of Minerals and Energy:

Whether a study has been done to assess the viability of instituting a daylight saving; if not, why not; if so what are the relevant details .

Whether there is any intention to institute daylight saving; if not why not; if so () when will it be instituted and (b) what are the cost implications of such an initiative.

This is the minister’s reply:

Studies were conducted on daylight savings, in 1986 by CSIR and ESKOM did a study in 2006. The conclusions of the studies was that there will not be any significant impact on the energy consumption, either in the reduction on the peak demand or reduction on the base-load power, as a result of introduction of daylight saving.  It is accepted that the studies are now dated and as such a need for a new study has been identified.

The current position may be reconsidered if the new study by Eskom, which has been commissioned by the Department of Public Enterprises, recommends such. This will take into account attendant potential socio-economic impacts on a national scale and provide a cost-benefit analysis.  This study is expected to be completed by June 2008.

The electricity crisis and climate change - poor timing

I recently welcomed the completion of government’s Long Term Mitigation Scenarios (LTMS) on Climate Change. The LTMS document outlines the various policy options that may be necessary in order for this country to play its role in contributing to the stabilisation of the world’s climate.

I wonder whether Eskom is going to pay any attention to this document at all. Building new coal-fired power stations without the best technology, nor with the ability for future “carbon capture and storage“, does not align it with the likely responses needed for the mitigation of climate change.

I guess a couple of readers of this blog will just say, “So what! Eskom must keep the lights on.” True, but let us at least acknowledge that this electricity crisis and the rushed development plans that will flow out of it are going to make our response to climate change more difficult.

Eskom News: Are foreign customers receiving preferential treatment?

Not only have electricity exports to neighbouring countries increased in the year to March 2008 - while South Africans have been forced to contend with crippling rolling blackouts, power rationing and load shedding - but Eskom has also provided less electricity to South Africans over the same period. This is according to a statement by DA spokesman on public enterprises Manie van Dyk last week.

He said the Democratic Alliance (DA) had submitted parliamentary questions to Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin to determine whether neighbouring countries were in fact receiving preferential treatment at the expense of South Africans.

“Specifically, electricity exports increased in the three months to March 2008 and in March itself by 6 percent and 1 percent respectively, while the distribution of electricity to the nine provinces by Eskom contracted by 1.7 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively,” said Van Dyk.

“This casts serious doubts on Minister Erwin’s assertions that Eskom’s foreign and domestic customers receive ‘the same treatment’.”

Load shedding news - Eskom Tariff Increases would be Reckless

Allowing Eskom’s requested 53 percent tariff increase would be reckless, the Democratic Alliance said last Tuesday. Expecting government and, in particular, the public to condone a 60 percent tariff increase was without grounds or basis.

“It is the DA’s view that an agreement to any additional tariff increases would be reckless in light of the prevailing failures by government and mismanagement on the part of Eskom,” said party minerals and energy spokesperson, Hendrik Schmidt.

In a submission to the National Energy Regulator (Nersa), tasked with regulating the electricity, piped-gas and petroleum pipeline industries, the DA said it recommended an independent inquiry into South Africa’s energy crisis before any tariff hikes could be considered.