Former Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer has exclusively revealed that he warned president Cyril Ramaphosa about loadshedding.
In a media interview, he hinted that he made Ramaphosa aware of the loadshedding woes which lay ahead.
Oberholzer noted that he revealed this to Ramaphosa in 2009. He has since stepped down as the COO and he is now spilling the beans.
Oberholzer discussed his meeting with Ramaphosa after the country was hit with stage 6 load-shedding for the first time on 9 December 2019.
South Africa is currently going through mass loadshedding and the stages have gone as far as stage 7.
Many generating units have also reportedly encountered faults along the way.
“South Africa’s failure to develop a plan to avoid future load-shedding is concerning. It’s essential for policymakers to accurately predict demand in the short-term and long-term, from the next three months to 50 years ahead,” he said.
Many analysts have warned that the ongoing power cuts are set to get worse in the long run if authorities do not curb the disaster soon.
South Africa is one of the many nations in subway Saharan Africa that are experiencing massive power cuts.
“We need a comprehensive understanding of our infrastructure needs, considering factors such as gas, batteries, and other emerging technologies. Unfortunately, this is still lacking in our country,” said the former COO.
He also divulged that some of the coal powered plants will reach their lifespan in about 12 years time.
Catastrophic events are most likely going to follow after that happens. This would mean increased loadshedding in the future.
Source: https://mybroadband.co.za/news/investing/499471-dark-days-ahead-former-eskom-coos-warning-to-ramaphosa.html
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