Eskom reports that electricity demand in the Western Cape continues to grow as winter settles in, but that the measures put in place in terms of its recovery plan are proving successful in maintaining stable supply of power to the region.
“Koeberg unit one is currently operating at 80% of its capacity due to a leaking power-operating relief valve. We remain confident that the problems will be resolved and that the unit will be returned to 100% soon,” the power utility said in a statement on Friday.
It added that Koeberg’s unit two had been shut down for routine maintenance and refuelling. At the moment, the depleted fuel was being unloaded. It was progressing according to plan and the unit was on track for synchronisation during the fourth week of July 2006.
“The total supply to the Western Cape is not impacted, since the shortfall of 200MW from Koeberg unit one can be made up by an additional transfer of power via the transmission network. The additional 200MW is still within the transfer limits of the transmission network.
“The three gas-fired generators that are being leased from General Electric for the next year have been running smoothly since 23 May. The additional 60MW they provide is proving invaluable in enabling Eskom to meet the increased demand.”
Demand market participation (DMP) is a measure that allows Eskom customers to participate in the Eskom Power Pool by putting their load reductions “up for sale”. Using this mechanism, 102MW have been contracted during evening peak periods, and a further 24MW recently became available for morning peak periods, according to Eskom.
“The last week saw a dramatic increase in the number of CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) installed in homes and offices. The total now stands at 2,6-million, resulting in an energy saving of approximately 127MW. In addition to that, 58MW self-generation savings and 5MW voluntary conservation savings have been achieved. The self-generation savings are particularly pleasing, as they already exceed the 50MW target that was set for this project.
“Another exciting development was the launch of Power Alert on all South African Broadcasting Corporation television channels last week Thursday. It is proving to be an effective communication channel, eliciting positive response from consumers,” Eskom said.
According to Andrew Etzinger, general manager responsible for Eskom’s demand-side management programme in the Western Cape, “Load-shedding in the Western Cape had not been necessary since May 22 2006 because the 100MW to 150MW shortfall over peak-demand periods can be made up through additional generation from the City of Cape Town’s Steenbras pumped-storage scheme, DMP customers and the leased-in gas-fired generators. The combination of demand- and supply side measures is working well together.”
He warns, however, that a drop in temperatures is almost guaranteed to lead to an increase in demand, and urges consumers to maintain the momentum of energy efficient behaviour that is starting to emerge.
“We are by no means out of the woods and we appeal to customers to consider how they can make small changes at work and at home to assist in alleviating demand.” — I-Net Bridge