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Nuclear power is back in the news by Dr. Kelvin Kemm, CEO of Stratek Business Strategy Consultants
Nuclear power has been coming back into the international news during the past year. Some of the impetus for this has been a spin off from the international climate change debate, in which fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas have been targeted for emitting carbon dioxide... (more) |
Further cost increases for Eskom's Medupi and Kusile power stations
by Chris Yelland, managing director of EE Publishers
Informed sources within Eskom Generation have indicated to EE Publishers that significant further cost increases can be expected for both Medupi and Kusile power stations. The cost for both Medupi and Kusile including the incorporation of flue-gas desulphurisation (FGD) plant is each expected to rise to R142-billion... (more) |
Electricity supply options and consequences by Mini Watt, Randburg
When evaluating the different options available for the production of electricity in South Africa, it would be irresponsible to do so without tempering one's idealism by giving serious consideration to our national affordability. A crisis has developed in our nation's electricity production and distribution industry. There are several obvious reasons for this which I surely need not elaborate on. Hopefully our national "2010 hysteria" will eventually wane and be replaced by more beneficial investment action... (more) |
Letter to the editor: Eskom price application
In my humble opinion, as an architect wishing to partake in sustainable design for the future, I have to say that the nuclear option is of great concern. We need some assurances, from our own governments and not the French, that we can actually take care of the waste for the next couple of thousand years. The costs of electricity in South Africa used to be one of the cheapest in the world, and now we are finding that we need some R300-billion to finance new power plants (some in untested nuclear systems like pebble bed) and others in the dirty coal fired type... (more) |
The Jacob Marley column: Cleaning the slate
Let us generously accept the argument that Medupi or Kusile will cost three times, on average and over the lifetime of the plant, to build and run compared to the tired (but cheap) old stations on which we all rely so much at present. The future, leaner mix of generating plant will thus consist of 80% of old capacity and 20% of new. If we use a three-to-one cost ratio, the new blended mix would therefore at worst cost 80 + 20 x 3 = 140% of present-day costs. Clearly we would need an increase of 40% for this. We don't need a computer to work is out, and this is very far from the 35% p.a. for three years that Eskom is bandying about... (more) |
Options for new electricity generation in South Africa by Andrew Kenny, consultant
There has been renewed speculation about future power stations in South Africa since December 2008, when Eskom, after receiving tenders from two vendors for new nuclear power stations, decided not to place an order. South Africa has a critical shortage of generation capacity. In a healthy electricity grid the reserve margin should be about 15%. The reserve margin quoted by Eskom is 8%, but in practice it could be as low as zero... (more) |
Managing system performance using WAMS in the South African power grid
by A Edwards, L N F de Villiers, N Mbuli, Eskom Holdings and D H Wilson, R Folkes, Psymetrix
The operation of the South African power system is challenging because of the long distances involved in power transmission, and also because of short supply of available generation resources in recent years. It is important that generation assets are used as effectively as possible, and wide area monitoring systems (WAMS) are seen as a route to improve the security and utilisation of the power system... (more) |
Goose messages for automated testing in the 765 kV transmission network
by Alexander Dierks, Alectrix
Associated with the 765 kV system upgrade in Eskom, the implementation of a breaker-and-a-half substation layout and the introduction of IEC 61850 based communication in Eskom transmission substations, a new generation of protective relay schemes for transmission feeders (both line impedance and line differential), transformers, reactors and busbars have been developed... (more) |
Smart grids: Responding to the challenges of the 21st century
Information from Alstom
The world's electricity sector faces a significant, three-fold challenge: soaring demand, expanding to new energy sources and curbing emissions. A smart grid will help meet this challenge. Smart grids are set to revolutionise the way we produce, distribute and consume electricity, delivering major benefits in terms of cost, quality of life and environmental footprint... ( more) |
Managing load during critical electrical demand periods
by Tony Williams, Strike Technologies
With the growing worldwide demand for electrical power a number of issues are being raised. The present infrastructure to distribute electrical power to the consumers in many countries is becoming old, out of date and inadequate; this also includes many of the existing billing meters used to generate revenue... (more) |
Energy savings: Umhlanga Sands lifestyle resort
Information from Southern Sun
The main drivers for the resort implementing electricity efficiency measures is firstly to satisfy Eskom's requirement to reduce electricity consumption and to mitigate the chance of incurring significant electricity consumption penalties in the forthcoming years. The resort also has a strong policy of continuous improvement, pushing the need for increased electricity efficiency.The interventions have reduced the resort's electricity consumption by an average of 22% compared to the base year... ( more) |
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