Eskom to spend R580bn to fuel SA reliance on coal, nuclear
17 May 2016
Cape Town - Eskom will spend R580bn on expanding electricity capacity over the next five years, according to Mongezi Ntsokolo, group executive for distribution at the power utility. Ntsokolo opened the first day of the African Utility Week on Tuesday, which is taking place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
He emphasised that South Africa will have to rely on coal-fired power stations and nuclear energy for base load power supply in the foreseeable future.
“We managed to add some 2 000 MW of renewable energy to our national grid,” Ntsokolo said, “but we’ll have to use coal and nuclear for years to come.”
He added that Koeberg nuclear power station is the cheapest energy provider of South Africa’s fleet of 25 power stations. It generates reliable power for longer periods and requires a refuelling outage every 18 months. Koeberg will keep going for another 30 years.