engineering 10
E N G I N E E R I N G
Since the current grid in the country is oper- there was a need to bring independent
ating with very tight margins at present, power producers into the market. Eskom’s
system security has become a major con- low prices, however, dissuaded indepen-
cern. The possibility of having blackouts, dent power producers from investing in
brownouts, poor reliability and poor quality the power-generation sector. Eskom was
of supply has increased substantially. These only given approval to start building new
problems also jeopardise public health, plant in October 2004, and taking into
safety, well-being and productivity of South account the long lead times required for
African industries. The utilisation of techno- the building of new power stations, there
logies that will provide the system operators
was a shortage of generation capacity
with the information necessary to monitor
in the short term. Eskom will have to find
and understand system conditions so that
ways to manage the situation until ade-
they can take pre-emptive action to avoid
quate capacity can be put on line. Options
certain undesirable events from occurring
available, but clearly not optimal, include
will greatly benefit the country at large.
load-shedding and the use of generation
plants designed for peak operation, such as
Distribution challenges are also increasing.
gas turbine power stations, which are very
It is expected that the average cost of in-
expensive. There is also a drive to reduce
frastructure development and the cost per
demand through energy efficiency and
connection will increase as communities in
using lower carbon-emitting technologies,
more remote rural areas are electrified. In
to reduce the current peak across various
addition, technical specifications for net-
sectors: industrial/mining, commercial,
work design have been enhanced to better
agricultural, and residential), and to intro-
accommodate future growth in electricity
duce smart metering technologies.
demand and to improve the quality and
reliability of the electricity supply in these
areas.
10.6 Nuclear energy
From a customer perspective, there have
been many challenges. South Africa expe-
rienced supply interruption between Oc-
S
outh Africa is committed to derive
a larger fraction of its energy from
nuclear energy and has embarked
tober 2007 and February 2008. Load-shed-
on a programme to re-establish its nuclear
ding had to be implemented to manage the capabilities. Although conventional pressu-
energy shortage to ensure that demand for rised water reactors will be used in the initial
power could be matched with power avail- expansions, South Africa is also developing
able on the national grid; failure to manage a new generation power reactor through
this would have resulted in the possibility its Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR)
of massive power blackouts across the programme. This is a high-temperature,
nation due to network instability. This situ- gas-cooled reactor (HTR) that is specifically
ation arose due to lack of additional capa- designed for co-generation, i.e. genera-
city being built by Eskom as it was felt that tion of electrical power as well as heat for
269
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