South Africa\u2019s state-owned power utility needs to run some coal-fired plants for longer than their planned retirement deadlines to avoid leaving the national grid \u201cvulnerable,\u201d according to its chief executive officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. has approved a plan to keep using at least three stations that were scheduled to close over the next few years until 2030. For years, an unreliable power system has hit South Africa with blackouts that crimp economic growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll continue some of our coal operations that were earmarked for shutting down,\u201d Eskom CEO Dan Marokane said at a Cape Town conference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll review that process on shorter time intervals going to 2030, but we\u2019ll place ourselves in a position where we are not made vulnerable by early shutting down of those stations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eskom\u2019s decision comes as South Africa has committed to lowering emissions by moving from mainly coal-fired power to cleaner sources of energy. That\u2019s raised questions around the Just Energy Transition Partnership \u2014 a $9.3-billion<\/a> pact with some of the world\u2019s richest nations to help make those changes. France, Germany, the US, UK and European Union have offered the money to help South Africa move away from coal, which is currently the source of more than 80% of the nation\u2019s power. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re still committed\u201d to reducing emissions, but Eskom\u2019s efforts must be viewed across the entire generation fleet, said Bheki Nxumalo, the company\u2019s group executive for generation. He also said it\u2019s \u201ccritical\u201d to run some stations beyond their original shutdown date and that workers lose focus if the imminent closure of the plant they work in is looming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While ending power cuts is a priority for the century-old utility, it\u2019s also looking at reinventing the business, according to Marokane. \u201cA number of people have written it off \u2014 we don\u2019t believe that that is the case,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s a clear path here and an opportunity for Eskom to reinvent itself and that\u2019s what we\u2019re focusing on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n