South Africa adds another 800MW of coal to the grid
Kusile final unit is online
Kusile Power Station’s final unit is now online, adding 800MW of coal-generated power to the grid. This development should significantly ease load shedding in South Africa. If the current trajectory continues, power shortages may soon become a thing of the past.
Of course, there will always be critics who point out that the power station ran three times over budget and was plagued by corruption. While these concerns are valid, it’s worth remembering that the best engineers are not shaped by success stories but by overcoming difficult projects. If they were tasked with rebuilding and replanning the project today, they would do so with invaluable lessons learned from past mistakes.
Well done to Eskom for persevering. South Africa will now reap the benefits of coal power until at least 2065.
In that year I will be 75 years old, and Greta Thunberg will be 62. If we both live that long, at least one of us will be able to say who was right or wrong about "the end of the planet." My view remains that whatever harm a bit of warming might cause, it is far outweighed by the enormous benefits that affordable energy will bring to the Emalahleni (Witbank) region and Southern Africa as a whole.
There are clear benefits to burning Clean King Coal, and we should not be shy about advocating for them.
"it’s worth remembering that the best engineers are not shaped by success stories but by overcoming difficult projects."
Ahem
Difficult to agree with that claim. it would most probably apply to research engineers.
Eskom had well qualified engineers that had the ability and capability to build massive plants repeatedly and successfully. The new projects have been fraught with disaster upon disaster showing lack of knowledge and skills and experience. In fact incompetent to be called engineers.