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Large power users in Vaal see ELM and Eskom as energy security threat
As the destabilising ELM/Eskom debt war continues with no clear end in sight, many large Vaal power users now see Independent Power Production (IPP) as the only viable option for the energy security needed to prevent large-scale disinvestment from the region.
The Eskom announcement on yet another Court Order for R1,3 billion ELM debt, highlighted the need for the Vaal to seriously look at energy security.
An option some Vaal companies are already assessing for their own electricity supply are gas-fuelled turbines with no emissions and possibly using gas from SASOL which already has a gas pipeline running through the Vaal.
Gas-generated electricity is a sustainable bridging measure as companies make the lengthy journey away from fossil-reliance. Coal-fired turbines can also be converted to gas, said several business sources.
Several large Vaal companies told Vaalweekblad they were considering options such as acquiring investment to set up and operate profitable gas-powered electricity plants on their own premises and in varying sizes to generate from 5 kilowatts of electricity per month.
This route would cut many costs for business as investment could cover both staffing and operational issues.
Independent power production may now legally produce up to 100kilowatts per month, with excess production sold to either local authorities or Eskom itself.
The Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce (GTCoC) has noted and encourages interest in independent production of electricity in the Vaal, caused by the clear incapacity of both ELM and Eskom to guarantee reliable business power supply.
“Large power users should create sustainable alternative electricity independence policies and infrastructure to cut reliance on ELM and Eskom, which never seem to resolve their issues and are both extremely unreliable,” said GTCoC CEO Klippies Kritzinger.
Kritzinger said the GTCoC could play a central facilitation role for business to prevent disinvestment from the Vaal due to energy insecurity and to accelerate options aimed at energy independence in the region.
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