There is good news and there is bad new

Tag : bad power supply
City Power says it now has enough reserves - 550MWh - so that ifEskom asks it to load-shed, it will be able to do so without anypower disruptions. That's the good news.

The bad news is that further increases of between 20,6 percent forhigh-end residential use and 43,6 percent for commerce and industrywere announced on Monday.

City Power managing director Silas Zimu said they had managed tosave electricity from various projects.

A total of 120MWh has been saved with the reinstatement of dieseland gas turbines; 120MWh has been saved with the activation ofgeyser ripple controls, with a further 120MWh to be saved with theinstallation of new ones; and 150MWh is in reserve from the Kelvinpower station upgrade.

"Because of these measures, I can say with certainty that the Cityof Joburg will be the only city in the country that can boast thatwe will not be load-shed again," he said.

Zimu said that when Eskom announced there would be no new powerstations built until 2014, City Power had to look at the followingalternatives to keep the city running:

The utility is looking at the supply of compact fluorescent lights.Zimu said that over the next six months, 200 000 households wouldbe supplied with three energy-efficient light bulbs.

The use of solar power for traffic lights and public lightingshould be implemented within 12 months, he said.

City Power has called for tenders for the supply of 10 000 solarwater-heaters, and a further 200 000 ripple control geysers will beinstalled over the next 18 months.

Zimu said a number had already been installed, but when asked forthe areas where they had been placed, City Power spokespersonVirgil James did not give a satisfactory answer.

Zimu said an audit had been done within City Power on how to reduceelectricity consumption.

"Audits of the Roodepoort, Reuven and Randburg depots have beendone. An energy manager will be appointed at each site," he said.

Another project will see electro-mechanical clocks in street lightsaffected by load shedding being replaced.

"Continual load shedding causes the street lights to lose their'memories', so we have to replace there," he said.

Speaking on the increases, City of Joburg mayor Amos Masondo saidit was the direct result of the National Energy Regulator of SouthAfrica's decision to allow Eskom to levy an additional increase of13,3 percent above the already approved 14,2 percent increase.

Poor consumers will not experience any additional increase intariffs, resulting in a R68-million revenue loss to the city.

Lower-end consumers supplied by the city will get 100kWh free,while those supplied by Eskom will get only 35kWh free.

Domestic single-phase customers face a 20,6 percent increase;three-phase users a 35,6 percent hike; and commercial andindustrial users 43,6 percent. The various price structures are:

0 to 300kWh: 14,2 percent - these customers will receive 100kWhfree per month.

300kWh to 500kWh: 14,2 percent hike but no free electricity.

50kWh to 1 000kWh: 20,6 percent increase.

1 000kWh to 2 000kWh: 20,6 percent increase.

For prepaid, those using between 0 and 500kWh and 2 000kWh face anadditional increase of 11c.

Prepaid consumers who use more that 3 000kWh will pay 12c more.