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ESKOM cuts power supply to SD

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MBABANE – The chilly weather which started on Sunday has forced Swaziland Electricity Company (SEC) to switch onto one hour load-shedding beginning from last night.

Load-shedding is cutting off the electric current on certain lines when the demand becomes greater than the supply.

Sifiso Dhlamini, SEC Corporate Communications Manager, last night revealed that load-shedding blackouts were first implemented in selected areas in the Shiselweni and Lubombo regions from 7pm to 8pm. The same was applied in some selected areas, Manzini and Hhohho regions, from 8pm to 9pm.

Specifically, Hilltop and Mdzimba suffered load-shedding for about 40 minutes.

Full load-shedding means that the availability of power will be rotated among various areas of the kingdom. With this approach, electricity may be made available in certain areas for a certain number of hours while others remain in darkness. After the designated hours have elapsed the areas that had no power would be lit while those previously lit would experience a blackout.

"The weather has been extremely cold these days and this increased the demand for electricity to exceedingly high levels.

"We had underestimated the demand that the cold weather brought about. If the cold continues for more days then we will be in serious trouble," said Dhlamini.

He added that SEC will this week release a statement with a detailed schedule of the places and times at which load-shedding will be implemented countrywide.

Eskom, the South African power utility from which the company imports over 80 per cent electricity, indicated that its production was under a lot of pressure from within that country such that it could no longer sustain the amount of electricity it supplied Swaziland.

As such it requested that Swaziland cuts down its import of power by 20 per cent especially at peak hours.

Dhlamini said there was an urgent need for the company’s customers from industrial to household users to severely cut down the use of electricity. This is something that should be done immediately.

"We received correspondence from Eskom this morning (yesterday) telling us their supply was under pressure and, therefore, needed our help," he said.

Dhlamini mentioned that cutting down import by 20 per cent put SEC ‘in a fix’ as the company currently imported 90 megawatts per day.

"We imported so much for a good reason, but the situation at hand demands that we reduce local supply. SEC will be writing letters to major companies even those that use more electricity at night to reduce their consumption," he said.

This instruction also applied to household users who must at all times avoid using electric appliances unnecessarily.

"This is a serious matter indeed, but people’s compliance to our plea to reduce consumption will determine how long we stay on load-shedding or not," Dlamini said.

Asked about electricity obtained from Mozambique and also locally produced by SEC, Dhlamini said it was too paltry to make a difference. He said insufficient water in local dams limited SEC’s production of power.

Nuclear plant maintenance straining Eskom

 

MBABANE – The beginning of the maintenance of the Koberg Nuclear Plant in Cape Town, South Africa yesterday has put a strain on Eskom.

This is why SEC was approached to bring down its import of power by 20 per cent so that Eskom could try and manage to satisfy the growing domestic demand for electricity in the neighbouring country.

"Eskom’s energy reserves have been over stretched as the maintenance continues," said Sifiso Dhlamini, SEC Corporate Communications Manager yesterday.

South Africa experienced the biggest load-shedding in 2008 and to some extent its economy suffered. Eskom could not meet the high demand for electricity at that time especially during the winter season.

Why power is more expensive in winter

 

MBABANE – Electricity is set to become more expensive this winter.

Sifiso Dhlamini, SEC Corporate Communications Manager said in 2009 Eskom introduced a new tariff structure that was said to be more cost reflective.

Over the time of use of the structure that was in place, a seasonality element was introduced; these seasons were divided into high and low.

"The low season months of September to May are relatively warm and the demand is generally low. At this time of the year the generation of electricity is usually not at its peak. On the other hand the high season or cold months (June-July) are characterised by very high demand for power," explained Dhlamini.

Since supply is generally lower than demand in the Southern African region, Eskom has no choice but to run its diesel generators to try and meet the demand, but sometimes have to load-shed some of their customers in South Africa. Since the cost of generating through diesel is much higher than thermal or hydro, the costs then shoot up during the high season. In order to cater for high costs, it was resolved that the tariffs payable by the customer should be more cost reflective.

Cut consumption between 5pm, 9pm - SEC

 

MBABANE - Consumers have been requested to cut down on their electricity consumption between 5pm and 9pm each day, which are peak hours.

This is in a bid to mitigate the effects of load-shedding.

Sifiso Dhlamini, SEC Corporate Communications Manager said: "Eskom requested that we cut down our import of power from them by 20 per cent especially at peak hours which are between 5pm and 9pm each day. This means we have to cut down our local supply from today until next week Thursday (May 31)."

The manager added that SEC had a contract with Eskom that stipulated that the latter supplied the former without fail, however, there would be times when Eskom would need the company’s help, such as this period. He said it was important for SEC to cooperate with Eskom as both companies have a relationship.

Power consumption peak hours are from 6am to 9am and 5pm to 9pm

SA battling to keep load-shedding at bay

MBABANE – South Africans meanwhile are also battling to keep load-shedding at bay this winter.

With the southern hemisphere winter drawing in, Eskom is walking a tightrope to keep power flowing to factories, mines and smelters that had to shut down for days four years ago, costing the economy billions of Dollars in lost output.

Since 2008, when the first serious blackouts began, South Africans have learnt to deal with the occasional blackout.

Every driver knows how to pass through a traffic junction without working lights. Home-owners stock camping gas cookers. Shops and businesses put notes in their windows to alert customers to backup generators.

Many learnt the hard way in 2008, when fears of some of the world’s highest murder and violent crime rates kept many South Africans from going out at night on darkened streets.

"People would rather just stay in, keep the doors locked and your business was down by 80-90 per cent," said Johannesburg restaurant owner Zane Beer. "You literally lose your stock over those days."

Beer is installing a generator in his smart new Mediterranean restaurant, Oliva, and has a big box of candles stashed in a back room. Even though he cooks on gas, he knows attracting customers will be hard if the lights go out.


 

Comments

We depend on South Africa too much, as an economy. Things like power should be in every nations control, not to live on leased power, yet we call ourselves independent. So, no matter what we choose to feel like, South Africa is our big brother, literally pulling the strings on us. Maybe the idea of becoming one of her provinces is not a bad one afterall. What do you think?
May 22, 2012, 3:13 pm, Manyeva

 

TO SEC, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR THE COMPANY NOT TO COMPLETELY CUT THE POWER BUT TO REDUCE IT JUST TO ENABLE THE NATION TO AT LEAST HAVE LIGHT NOT LEFT IN A DARK ENVIROMENT SINCE THAT CAN ENABLE THUGS TO INVADE DURING THOSE HOURS
May 22, 2012, 3:13 pm, GOOGWILL (suthuthabiso@gmail.com)

 

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