SHOOT: That's code for 'We won't have enough electricity for everyone eventually', which I think we already know, but just aren't too keen to face. We needed to invest in nuclear power about 10-20 years ago. Now it is too late for a couple of reasons, one being that there just isn't any money.
South Africa needs at least 40 new coal mines to prevent shortages over the long term, Eskom operations head Brian Dames said in an interview published on Tuesday. "While Eskom's demand for coal in the past few years has been increasing by 5% per year, coal production in South Africa has remained constant," Dames told Sake24. "That is why it has become so difficult for Eskom to get coal cheaply. The demand is higher than the supply. In the next 10 years, big investments would have to be done in coal mines. South Africa needs at least 40 new coal mines," said Dames, adding that the investment could cost up to R40-billion. Dames said further investment was required in the logistics behind transporting coal. "Great volumes of coal have to be transported by road because there is no alternative. If the trucks stop running, there will be no more power. It is as simple as that," he warned. Coal sources are far from coal power stations, exacerbating the problem. |
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