
<p>JOHANNESBURG, Jan 6 (Reuters) &#8211; Eskom&#8217;s new chief executive took charge of the struggling state-owned utility on Monday, embarking on the mammoth task of fixing South Africa&#8217;s power deficit and restructuring a debt pile that has crippled the national economy.</p>



<p>Andre de Ruyter, appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa in November, will oversee a government plan to split Eskom into three units for generation, transmission and distribution in an attempt to make it more efficient.</p>



<p>Ramaphosa is trying to revive growth in Africa&#8217;s most advanced economy and attract more investments. Eskom, which generates more than 90% of the country&#8217;s power, is widely regarded as the most serious risk to an economy on the brink of recession.</p>



<p>Saddled with unreliable coal-fired power stations, Eskom has struggled to meet the country&#8217;s power demand since 2007, with several bouts of severe power cuts since then. Outages last year dented economic output and shook investor confidence in Ramaphosa&#8217;s administration.</p>



<p>The country experienced further outages at the weekend, with Eskom cutting up to 2,000 megawatts (MW) from the national grid on Saturday and Sunday due to a shortage of generating capacity.</p>



<p>In a previous role as CEO of Nampak de Ruyter steered the packaging firm through financial difficulties, and part of his new brief is to restructure Eskom&#8217;s 450 billion rand ($31 billion) debt pile.</p>



<p>De Ruyter&#8217;s predecessor at Eskom, Phakamani Hadebe, stepped down in July, citing health reasons. Sources told Reuters at the time that another reason was that he felt frustrated at being excluded from important decisions affecting the utility.</p>



<p>Eskom said in a statement on Monday that roughly 13,000 megawatts (MW) of its 44,000 MW nominal capacity were offline because of plant breakdowns.</p>



<p>It said it didn&#8217;t expect &#8220;load-shedding &#8221; &#8211; a local term for power cuts &#8211; on Monday but that the system was &#8220;constrained and vulnerable&#8221;.</p>



<p>($1 = 14.3205 rand) </p>



<p>(Reporting by Alexander Winning; editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and John Stonestreet)</p>


Eskom’s new CEO takes charge with power shake-up on agenda, what you need to know…

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<p>SA police have arrested senior ex-managers of Eskom over an alleged R745 million fraud and corruption case which is allegedly took place at Kusile power plant. Hawks spokesperson, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Former Eskom managers arrested over alleged R745mn fraud

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<p>Ratings agency Fitch affirmed its South African outlook as negative. In a note released late yesterday evening, the agency said the outlook reflects uncertainty about government’s ability to manage its high and rising levels of debt and pressure on policy-making. Joining CNBC Africa for more is Jan Friederich, Senior Director and Head of Middle East and Africa Sovereign Ratings at Fitch.</p>


Fitch affirms SA’s outlook as negative

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<p>In light of the recent and recurring spate of blackouts, the Democratic Alliance, the nation’s official opposition party, has called for an independent forensic audit to uncover what they say are crooked contracts and the people who have contributed to the destruction at the utility. Joining CNBC Africa for more is Ghaleb Cachalia, shadow minister of public enterprises and DA Member of Parliament.</p>


DA wants independent audit at Eskom

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<p>Emerging gas producer, Renergen, is looking for proposals to generate as much as 100MW gas-fired power after new findings at its Virginia project. CNBC Africa spoke to the CEO, Stefano Marani, about the timeline for the project, how this can aid Eskom’s power outage, and how SA media got the information before the official statement.</p>


How new Renergen could help bridge electricity gap

How the new Renergen project could help bridge SA’s electricity gap

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<p>The pressure is on for Incoming Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter as he is being urged by cabinet to start his role sooner than the 15th of January.  As of recently, the struggling state owned entity has sent shockwaves through the nation with a load shedding crisis that has lasted for 2 weeks. Energy expert Ted Blom joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Cabinet wants new Eskom boss De Ruyter to start work earlier


<p>JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) &#8211; Plagued by power cuts and with its infrastructure in desperate need of revamping, South Africa’s struggling state power utility Eskom says the country desperately needs an additional 5,000 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity.</p>



<p>Here are some options:</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">HARNESSING POWER FROM INDEPENDENTS</h3>



<p>Eskom’s nominal generating capacity is around 44,000 MW. But it also procures electricity from independent power producers.</p>



<p>Those projects &#8211; mainly renewables like wind and solar farms &#8211; have installed capacity of around 4,000 MW of power. However, a cap on how much electricity they are allowed to sell onto the national grid means they currently have unused capacity.</p>



<p>Lifting the restriction would allow an additional 500 MW to immediately enter the grid from wind farms alone, according to wind industry officials. Harnessing unused capacity from solar projects could contribute around 300 MW more.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">MORE INDEPENDENT PRODUCERS</h3>



<p>Under former President Jacob Zuma, approval for new producers was delayed for years. Those projects finally got a green light in 2018. Some under construction could be fast-tracked and brought online before their agreed commercial operation dates.</p>



<p>The government could also accelerate a new round of planned approvals that has been held up by administrative delays. However, those projects would likely not be on-stream for more than two years.</p>



<p>SELF-GENERATION</p>



<p>Private businesses have been clamouring for regulations to be eased to allow them to generate more of their own power. They are currently required to seek a license to generate more than 1 MW of electricity. Even below that threshold they must register their facilities with the energy regulator, a cumbersome process that has discouraged investment.</p>



<p>President Cyril Ramaphosa says the government will consider how to get more self-generation online with excess production directed back onto the grid.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">“FLOATING GENERATORS”</h3>



<p>Ramaphosa has said South Africa will look at the possibility of procuring more power via “floating generators”. While he did not go into detail, barge or ship-based power plants provide quickly deployable capacity.</p>



<p>New York City, for example, has used barge-based power stations for decades.</p>



<p>In Africa, Ghana signed a 10-year&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/turkey-ghana-power/update-1-turkeys-power-ship-maker-karadeniz-to-supply-electricity-to-ghana-idUSL5N0OY1WC20140617deal">here</a>&nbsp;with Turkey&#8217;s Karadeniz Holding in 2014 for 450 MW of floating generating capacity for its national grid.</p>



<p>Russian nuclear energy giant Rosatom is, meanwhile, developing floating nuclear power stations, though they will likely not be available for commercial use for several years.</p>



<p>Reporting by Joe Bavier and Alexander Winning; Editing by Alexandra Zavis and Emelia Sithole-Matarise </p>


Here are four ways South Africa can get more power generation capacity

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<p>Since the announcement of Stage 6 load shedding, energy products have flying off the shelves. From solar to rechargeables and even the good old fashioned candles and batteries are flying off the shelves. CNBC Africa Karabo Letlhatlha spoke to Danisile Sithole from Internal Sales and Media Relations at Turner Morris on how this recent demand surge compares to 2008?</p>


Some businesses cashing in on #EskomCrisis

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<p>The head of one of the world’s biggest tech companies believes Eskom is suffering problems endured by power generators around the world that it can help over with more training for its staff. Steve Tzikakis, President of south Europe the Middle East and Africa for tech company SAP says he is also an Afro-optimist who sees change for the better on the continent.</p>


SAP’s Steve Tzikakis on why he’s bullish on Africa’s potential

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<p>South Africa’s power crisis continues to be top of mind for businesses and society. The ruling ANC is hosting a special meeting today to discuss immediate remedies to the power problems.</p>


Are renewables ready to fill up the energy gap in South Africa?

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<p>President Cyril Ramaphosa said that an additional 5 000 megawatts is needed to sustain state-owned power utility, Eskom but is renewable energy on the agenda?</p>


Are renewables part of Eskom’s call for an extra 5000MW?

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<p>After a week of various stages of load-shedding, President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured South Africans that after March next year there will be no load-shedding for good but how certain are we that this will be the case. Energy Expert, Chris Yelland joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Why this analyst thinks it’s unwise for Ramaphosa to guarantee no load-shedding after March next year

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<p>Join this CNBC Africa panel as we unpack the Eskom crisis and find solutions to turn around the beleaguered SOE.</p>


#EskomCrisis threaten SA economy – Is there a way out the darkness?

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<p>Following seven days of load-shedding South Africa&#8217;s President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation saying that internal sabotage caused the loss of 2 000 megawatts of electricity and that cabinet would discuss ways on Friday to add an extra 5000 MW through self-generation. CNBC Africa’s Karabo Letlhatlha shares more details.</p>


President Ramaphosa sheds light on load-shedding

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<p>Mines across the country are feeling the rolling blackouts the most as operations continue to close due to load shedding from Eskom but what does this mean for mine-workers and their future? NUM President, Joseph Montisetse joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Num wants Eskom board fired for load-shedding

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<p>The power cuts of South Africa will take another large bite out of mining production today in a time when the industry is struggling. Gold miner Harmony says it cancelled its underground night shift last night and the day shift this morning because of concerns over power supply. The company says it has cut back its power usage merely to maintain emergency services. Joining CNBC Africa for more is Henk Langenhoven, Chief Economist at Minerals Council South Africa and Mashego Mashego, Executive Director at Harmony Gold.</p>


This is how much load-shedding costing SA’s mining industry

This is how much load-shedding is costing SA’s mining industry


<p><em>Press Release</em></p>



<p>We regret and sincerely apologise that stage 4 loadshedding will move to Stage 6 loadshedding as from 18:00 today, as a result of a shortage of capacity. This follows a technical problem at Medupi Power Station impacting additional generation supply. The heavy rains has caused coal handling and operational problems at several power stations.</p>



<p>We remind and assure customers that loadshedding at Stage 6 is no cause for alarm as the system is being effectively controlled. Stage 6, requires 6000MW to be rotationally loadshed.</p>



<p>Eskom&#8217;s emergency response command centre and technical teams will be working through the night to restore units as soon as possible. Eskom is working closely large industry to assist with further load curtailment.</p>



<p>Loadshedding is a responsible act and highly controlled process, implemented to protect the country from a national blackout.</p>



<p>After 2015, Eskom and the municipalities identified the need to extend the loadshedding stages up to stage 8 and the national code (NRS048-9 Ed 2) was subsequently updated.</p>



<p>Even beyond these schedules, the System Operator will reduce demand in a manner that is controlled.</p>



<p>Stage 6 loadshedding schedules are available on the Eskom website.</p>



<p>Eskom will keep you updated.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="669" height="960" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Eskom-image.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-351888" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Eskom-image.jpg 669w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Eskom-image-209x300.jpg 209w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Eskom-image-293x420.jpg 293w" sizes="(max-width: 669px) 100vw, 669px" /></figure>


Eskom

Eskom’s new CEO takes charge with power shake-up on agenda, what you need to know…

Former Eskom managers arrested over alleged R745mn fraud

Fitch affirms SA’s outlook as negative

DA wants independent audit at Eskom

How the new Renergen project could help bridge SA’s electricity gap

Cabinet wants new Eskom boss De Ruyter to start work earlier

Here are four ways South Africa can get more power generation capacity

Some businesses cashing in on #EskomCrisis

SAP’s Steve Tzikakis on why he’s bullish on Africa’s potential

Are renewables ready to fill up the energy gap in South Africa?

Are renewables part of Eskom’s call for an extra 5000MW?

Why this analyst thinks it’s unwise for Ramaphosa to guarantee no load-shedding after March next year

#EskomCrisis threaten SA economy – Is there a way out the darkness?

President Ramaphosa sheds light on load-shedding

Num wants Eskom board fired for load-shedding

This is how much load-shedding is costing SA’s mining industry

#LoadShedding: South Africa’s Eskom moves power cuts to Stage 6

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Eskom

Eskom’s new CEO takes charge with power shake-up on agenda, what you need to know…

Former Eskom managers arrested over alleged R745mn fraud

Fitch affirms SA’s outlook as negative

DA wants independent audit at Eskom

How the new Renergen project could help bridge SA’s electricity gap

Cabinet wants new Eskom boss De Ruyter to start work earlier

Here are four ways South Africa can get more power generation capacity

Some businesses cashing in on #EskomCrisis

SAP’s Steve Tzikakis on why he’s bullish on Africa’s potential

Are renewables ready to fill up the energy gap in South Africa?

Are renewables part of Eskom’s call for an extra 5000MW?

Why this analyst thinks it’s unwise for Ramaphosa to guarantee no load-shedding after March next year

#EskomCrisis threaten SA economy – Is there a way out the darkness?

President Ramaphosa sheds light on load-shedding

Num wants Eskom board fired for load-shedding

This is how much load-shedding is costing SA’s mining industry

#LoadShedding: South Africa’s Eskom moves power cuts to Stage 6

News Tips

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