Refinitiv Newscasts - Eskom says it could take a year to end SA outages

The Brink's

12/09/2022 17:44

Click the following link to watch video: https://share.newscasts.refinitiv.com/link?entryId=1_86ypoe0l&referenceId=tag:reuters.com,2022:newsml_OV477212092022RP1_930&pageId=RefinitivNewscasts
Source: Reuters

Description: A senior official at South Africa's struggling utility Eskom has
said it could take "12 months or so" to end recurring power cuts, despite new
measures pledged by President Cyril Ramaphosa. David Doyle has more.
Short Link: https://refini.tv/3B29vGk

Video Transcript:

South African government plans to end recurring power cuts could take at least
a year to deliver results, a top executive at Eskom said on Monday. The
struggling state utility implemented extensive power cuts last week and is
scheduled to do so again this week. That's an addition to earlier blackouts,
setting Africa's most industrialized economy on course for its worst year of
electricity outages. In July, President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged new moves to
tackle the crisis. But Eskom Chief Operating Officer Jan Oberholzer said that
though they have various plans in place, this is going to take time to
implement. "For the next 12 months or so, we may not see the required
benefits," he said. Speaking at a news briefing, Oberholzer also addressed the
continuing deterioration of Eskom's aging and unreliable fleet of coal-fired
power stations. He said 42 generating units or almost 24,000 megawatts of
capacity tripped last week, with some units breaking down more than once.
Midway through its financial year, Eskom has spent ZAR7.7 billion, or USD451
million, on diesel to run emergency generators. That's far in excess of the
budgeted amount, Oberholzer said, calling it "a serious concern"