The data shows that the age of Eskom\u2019s coal-fired power stations is not the main cause of breakdowns and unreliability.<\/p>\n
Instead, it is the poorly skilled staff, a lack of training, corruption, and not employing the right people because of affirmative action.<\/p>\n
The data substantiates feedback from Eskom insiders, who revealed that poorly trained employees and a lack of skills at all levels are behind most of the breakdowns and poor maintenance.<\/p>\n
The situation is aggravated by the fact that little or no action is taken against poor-performing employees.<\/p>\n
Another problem is that procurement policies force Eskom to use suppliers that struggle to deliver equipment for maintenance and upkeep at power stations.<\/p>\n
The government\u2019s preferential procurement policy framework also significantly increases the price of products and services.<\/p>\n
It means that Eskom has less money for important projects, including maintenance and refurbishments.<\/p>\n
New Eskom board member Mteto Nyati, who is a respected engineer and former chief executive, highlighted these problems in a recent report.<\/p>\n
Nyati told the Sunday Times that empowerment rules would have to go if there was any chance of ending South Africa\u2019s deepening electricity crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cInternal corruption is largely at the back of empowerment policies that promote local small businesses,\u201d Nyati said.<\/p>\n
He added that affirmative action is hampering Eskom\u2019s ability to employ skilled people who can fix the company.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, we need to be focusing on who is the best person for the job because those are the ones who should be fixing what needs to be fixed, regardless of how they look,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
However, there is no political will from Eskom or the government to do away with the policies which caused Eskom\u2019s collapse.<\/p>\n
Eskom hit back at Nyati\u2019s comments by saying it embraced the preferential procurement policy framework act (PPPFA) as a state-owned enterprise.<\/p>\n
It added that it supported \u201call government policies aimed at transforming the South African economy to deal with the pervasive conditions of inequality and socioeconomic imbalances\u201d.<\/p>\n
Power station age and EAF<\/strong><\/p>\n The chart below shows Eskom\u2019s coal-fired power stations\u2019 average energy availability factor (EAF) over 12 months.<\/p>\n It reveals that while age plays a role in reliability and breakdowns, proper operations and maintenance are far more important in achieving a high EAF.<\/p>\n The article first appeared on Daily Investor and was republished with permission. Read the original here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Power-station-age-vs-EAF.png\")
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