Podcast appearances and mentions of jan oberholzer

Jan Oberholzer, voormalige bedryfshoof van Eskom en huidige voorsitter van Mulilo Energy, deel sy insigte oor die toekoms van Suid-Afrika se elektrisiteitsbedryf en Mulilo Energy se mees onlangse projekte. Volg RSG Geldsake op Twitter

This evening we dive into market movements with Kruger International, we speak to Mango's business rescue practitioner about the airline's future, RMB gives us details about SA's R26bn infrastructure loan from the World Bank, Sanlam Investments helps us understand the ‘Taco' trade scenario, we discuss Africa's digital divide with GSMA, and in our Executive Lounge feature, we chat to former Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer about his decades in the energy space. SAfm Market Update - Podcasts and live stream

Guest: Matthew Cruise |Energy expert at IMPOWER Africa Melane talks to Matthew Cruise about Jan Oberholzer’s Mulilo, which just landed R7bn in battery storage projects. What does this mean for SA’s energy future? A deep dive into the green shift, power risks, and the tech behind load shedding relief.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Die MK-party kritiseer die toekenning van 'n energietender aan die voormalige Eskombaas, Jan Oberholzer. Huldeblyke stroom in ná die sluipmoord op die IVP-leier, "KP" Sithole. Die sekretaris van die party in Gauteng, Alco Ngobese, is in die voorval gewond. Rusland se afvaardiging daag in Istanbul op vir 'n tweede ronde vredesgesprekke met Kijif, teen die agtergrond van 'n groot Oekraïense hommeltuigaanslag op Russiese bomwerpers.

The MK Party is demanding a review of a multibillion-rand clean energy tender awarded to Mulilo Energy, a company linked to former Eskom executive Jan Oberholzer. The party is raising concern over the potential conflicts of interest. Elvis Presslin spoke to Prince Adil Nchabeleng, MK Party MP and member of the Portfolio Committee on Electricity and Energy, for further insight

Former Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer delved into the intricacies of Eskom's challenges and potential solutions during a dynamic Q&A session at the BNC#6 conference in Hermanus. From regional energy strategies to financial hurdles and personal reflections on leadership, Oberholzer's insights shed light on the complex landscape of South Africa's energy sector and the ongoing efforts to navigate its complexities.

Jan Oberholzer, voormalige bedryfshoof van Eskom gesels oor sy loopbaan by Eskom, hoekom hy by Eskom bly as 'n konsultant, hernubare kragprojekte en die impak van beurtkrag en korrupsie. Volg RSG Geldsake op Twitter

Jan Oberholzer has left the dark days of Eskom behind him and joined the race for renewable energy. In this interview, he maps out the future of power supply in South Africa. He speaks to BizNews following his appointment as the non-executive chairperson of Mulilo Energy. Oberholzer - who was not short of job offers from across the world - reveals why he chose to stay in South Africa and join Mulilo. He gives details of the many projects in the pipeline at the independent renewable energy developer. He says Mulilo has "quite an aggressive goal" to add five to six gigawatts of electricity to South Africa in the public and private sectors. "So it is then for me to provide the necessary leadership to guide, support, and give whatever direction is required to assist them." Oberholzer also looks into the future and how the role of ESKOM in the power supply industry will likely change over the years. - Chris Steyn

GUEST: Chris YallandSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Schalk Louw, welvaartbestuurder by PSG Old Oak gesels oor Jan Oberholzer wat Eskom verlaat, Richemont se handelsverslag en Anglo Platinum se wins wat dalk kan sak. Volg RSG Geldsake op Twitter

Eskomite Jan Oberholzer, an electrical engineer who retired as the utility's COO at the end of April, spent Friday evening in Hermanus answering nothing's-off-limit questions from BizNews's Alec Hogg. Here are the highlights of that lengthy interview, providing the inside track on burning issues like why loadshedding has improved lately and when will it end. Plus the inside track on Oberholzer's two year consulting job; his lengthy one-on-one meeting with the SA president; SA's desperate need for a ‘crystal ball' - and how to turn currently destructive transformation policies into a positive. The interview was in a large hall and in parts the recording is not good. But given the content, it's is worth persevering with. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It has been almost three months since electricity supply and loadshedding was described as a national disaster in the State of the Union Address and almost two months since the new Minister of Electricity was appointed. So where do things stand? This episode is supported by the NWU Business School. Register for the Pitso here. It is 12 May at 12:00, with Chris Yelland, Khaya Sithole and Jan Oberholzer.

Dit is amper drie maande sedert elektrisiteitsvoorsiening en beurtkrag as ʼn nasionale ramp beskryf is in die Staatsrede en amper twee maande sedert die nuwe Minister van Elektrisiteit aangewys is. So waar staan sake? Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool. Registreer hier vir die Pitso⁠. Dit is 12 Mei om 12:00, met Chris Yelland, Khaya Sithole en Jan Oberholzer.

Eskom will approach the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) for an exemption to allow it to temporarily bypass the flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) units at the Kusile power station in an effort to reintroduce 2 160 MW of production, months earlier than would be the case absent such an exemption. Kusile Units 1, 2 and 3 have been out of service since October 23 after the flue duct at Unit 1 failed as a result of the duct bend collapsing, owing to excessive weight of slurry deposited in the flue. The incident also compromised the adjacent Unit 2 and 3 flue duct bends, making all three units inoperable, which has precipitated an intensification of loadshedding by two stages. It is currently estimated that a full repair, which will involve increasing the height of the smokestacks to 90 m, could take 18 months. However, Eskom aims to introduce temporary flues for the three units to enable an earlier return to service, while the longer-term solution is implemented on the common chimney. COO Jan Oberholzer indicated during a briefing on January 22 that the design for the temporary stacks had been completed and that it would be technically possible to bypass the FDGs and, thus, reintroduce the units about eight months earlier. However, a temporary exemption would be required from the DFFE to enable it to bypass the air-pollution control system, which has been a regular source of trips at Kusile, and Oberholzer confirmed that Eskom would be making a formal request to the DFFE in this regard. The move is likely to face some resistance from environmental groups, but the authorities are likely to prove sympathetic given growing public anger over power cuts and even some legal demands for Eskom to immediately halt loadshedding. After South Africa's worst-ever year for rotational power cuts in 2022, loadshedding has already been implemented on every day of 2023 so far, at times at Stage 6, and the outlook for the rest of the year remains bleak. The recovery of the three Kusile units, as well as the synchronisation to the grid of Kusile Unit 5 later this year, forms part of a larger board- and shareholder approved generation recovery plan to deliver more than 6 000 MW of Eskom generation over the coming two years. Besides the rebuilding of Medupi Unit 4, which is out of service owing to a hydrogen explosion, much of the recovery is expected to arise from the six underperforming coal stations of Kendal, Matla, Majuba , Duvha , Tutuka and Kusile. Acting generation executive Thomas Conradie reported that the intention was to add 6 274 MW over a 24-month period, including 1 862 MW in the coming six months, an additional 1 530 MW in 12 months, 1 818 MW in 18 months and an additional 1 064 MW in 24 months. The board operations performance committee had requested the appointment of WSP Africa to monitor and report on the implementation of what is described as a “complex project management exercise”. Loadshedding would still be required over the period, however, to create “headroom” for the maintenance required to stabilise the coal fleet and raise Eskom's energy availability factor (EAF). The average year-to-date EAF has been about 58% (with the coal fleet operating at an average EAF of about 52%) to a nominal 60% by the end of March. The goal is then to increase the average EAF to 65% by the end of March 2024 and to 70% by the end of March 2025. The briefing exposed a divergence between the board and the executives over the implementation of loadshedding, with chairperson Mpho Makwana indicating that there would be “permanent Stage 2 or 3 loadshedding for the next two years in order to give sufficient space for maintenance” and the executives indicating that higher stages would probably be required at times, while no loadshedding would be implemented if there was sufficient energy available to avoid such cuts. Following the briefing Eskom indicated that it could not guarantee that loadshedding would remain at between St...

Volgens die energiekenner, Chris Yelland het André de Ruyter se bedanking op die slegste moontlike onverwagse tyd gekom. Yelland sê die kragmaatskappy het aangekondig sy vloot kragstasies is nou net op 51 persent, wat die land in ʼn kwesbare situasie laat. Hy het bygevoeg die bedanking kom op ʼn tydstip dat die bedryfshoof van Eskom, Jan Oberholzer reeds in April aftree. Die finansiële hoof, Calib Cassim, sal Eskom na verwagting ook verlaat.

André de Ruyter, Eskom's group chief executive, has resigned. News24 understands that he notified board chairperson Mpho Makwana of his decision earlier in the week. Makwana has also informed Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan. This follows a barrage of public attacks on him led by Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, and Gordhan's and President Cyril Ramaphosa's subsequent failure to publicly support him and his management. Last week, Mantashe said that Eskom was "actively agitating for the overthrow of the state". Neither Ramaphosa nor Gordhan responded to Mantashe's allegation. They also did not offer support to De Ruyter and his management. This seemingly made De Ruyter's position untenable. It is understood that De Ruyter's resignation could lead to the departure from Eskom of a number of other senior executives and engineers. Jan Oberholzer, De Ruyter's number two and the chief operating officer, will also retire in April 2023. South Africa has been gripped by worsening bouts of load shedding this year, with Stage 7 now within reach. Eskom has repeatedly said that the dire state of its aging coal fleet means that breakdowns will increase, and that maintenance cannot be postponed. The government has, however, dragged its feet to install additional generation capacity. De Ruyter, who assumed his position on Christmas Day in 2019, has in recent times been severely criticised for Eskom's performance, despite the company providing regular briefings and detailed information about the decrepit state of the country's electricity infrastructure. He could not be reached for comment.

South African's should prepare for darker times. Eskom has warned of more rounds of power cuts this year, as maintenance issues are set to weigh on the state utilities ability to supply electricity. Business Day TV spoke to Eskom's Chief Operating Officer, Jan Oberholzer for more.

 Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter says the power utility is still dealing with challenges over the quality of coal that they receive. De Ruyter together with his Chief Operating Officer, Jan Oberholzer and the SIU partnering with the Hawks are at the Standing Committee on Public Accounts briefing members on parliament on recent challenges at Eskom. They are also giving updates on investigations that are still ongoing which have been brought before law enforcement agencies. De Ruyter had this to say when it comes to questions over how they are best dealing with the issue of bad quality coal. In the same clip, he is followed by his COO, Jan Oberholzer speaking on the recent fire at Kusile and the life expansion project at the Kuberg nuclear power station. 

Eskom told lawmakers on Wednesday that a fire in the gas air heater of Kusile Unit 5, which occurred during a commissioning exercise on September 17, represented a major “setback” and could delay the 800 MW unit's entry into commercial operation by up to a year. Under the revised scheduled for the much-delayed Kusile build programme, Unit 5 was expected to enter into commercial operation in December 2023. Addressing a Standing Committee on Public Accounts meeting, COO Jan Oberholzer said the cause of the fire had not yet been determined by the contractor, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, which he referred to as MHI, but that sabotage was not currently suspected. He noted that a similar incident had occurred during the commissioning of Kusile Unit 2, which had delayed the introduction of the unit by 12 months, and that a similar delay was, thus, being assumed preliminarily for Unit 5. Eskom expected to receive details outlining MHI's new commissioning plan for the unit by Sunday, October 23, but Oberholzer confirmed that the fire represented a major setback, particularly in a context where the utility urgently required additional generation capacity to reduce the risk of loadshedding. “Unfortunately I have to be open that unit number five will not be placed into commercial operation by December 2023,” he said, signalling that initial indications were that the unit might achieve that milestone only in December 2024. “Again, I need to emphasise that this was during the commissioning of that specific component and we don't believe that there was any foul play.” The commercial implications were still being calculated, but it was estimated that it would add some R150-million a month to Kusile's interest during construction (IDC). Work on Unit 6, meanwhile, was continuing and it remained on schedule for commercial operation by the middle of 2024, with efforts under way to bring that date forward to May 2024. MEDUPI UNIT 4 At Medupi meanwhile, where all six units were in commercial operation prior to a catastrophic hydrogen explosion at Unit 4 in 2021, Eskom was planning to return Unit 4 to service only in September 2024. This, together with extended maintenance at the Koeberg nuclear station – which had been further prolonged because the replacement of the three steam generators at Unit 2 had to be postponed earlier this year owing to Eskom's failure to complete the required containment facility on time – would increase the risk of power cuts. The energy-short grid would be without at least one unit of Koeberg for a period of about a year and a half, which would increase the intensity of loadshedding by one stage every time it was implemented. Nevertheless, Oberholzer expressed confidence that Koeberg would secure its life-extension licence before the current licence expired in mid-2024. Oberholzer again confirmed that the Koeberg life-extension capital expenditure was far higher than the R20-billion announced in 2010, but said he could not yet provide the new value. Lawmakers were also provided an update on the cost and cost to completion of both Medupi and Kusile, which were set to cost R145-billion and R161.4-billion to complete respectively, before IDC. The remaining cost to complete Kusile was stated as being R14-billion, while the figure for Medupi was pegged at R18.95-billion. The Medupi figure excluded the cost of installing flue gas desulphurisation (FGD), which could involve an additional R35- to R40-billion and remained a condition of a World Bank loan that had been raised to help fund the project. CEO André de Ruyter reported that the FGD technology installed at Kusile was a single point of failure and that trips associated with the plant were a key reason for Kusile's poor energy availability factor (EAF) currently. Eskom was pursuing an operations and maintenance contract with General Electric, which supplied the FGD to Kusile, in an effort to improve the plant's performance. The utility, which has never before oper...

Eskom het Suid-Afrikaners gewaarsku om voor te berei op nog 18-maande van gereelde beurtkrag. Die bedryfshoof, Jan Oberholzer, sê dit is die huidige vooruitsig aangesien die maatskappy nie aan die vraag sal kan voorsien totdat voldoende opwekkingsvermoë by die netwerk gevoeg is nie. Hy daar lê 'n moeilike jaar en 'n half vir Suid-Afrika voor:

Eskom sê hy is bewus van hoe erg beurtkrag Suid-Afrika se landbou-sektor raak, en is besig om skouer aan die wiel te sit om die kragonderbrekings onder beheer te kry. Bedryfshoof van Eskom, Jan Oberholzer, het vandag by Agri SA se jaarlikse kongres in Pretoria gesê al werk hulle daaraan om kapasiteit te verbeter, sal beurtkrag nog vir 'n paar jaar in plek bly. Kosmos 94.1 Nuus se korrespondent in Kaapstad, Fritz Platt ...

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has proposed that President Cyril Ramaphosa immediately dissolve the National Energy Crisis Committee and appoint in its place an outside industry expert to oversee the implementation of the Energy Response Plan. For a second time Ramaphosa has cut an overseas trip short to return to South Africa and attend to the energy crisis as the country saw Stage 6 power cuts on Sunday. The DA said there was no sense of urgency from Ramaphosa, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan while Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter and COO Jan Oberholzer reflect the true severity of the situation by using words such as “catastrophe”. “At the end of July, President Ramaphosa launched his latest plan to deal with load-shedding to much fanfare and nods of approval from the media and energy role-players. But two months later, almost every aspect of this plan has stalled,“ said Steenhuisen. He said it was a great concern that there was no lack of urgency, with no measurable targets or clear timelines attached to any of the project deliverables. The DA leader stressed that the Energy Crisis Committee must not be replaced by “another set of African National Congress (ANC) politicians”. “We cannot repeat the same actions and hope for a different outcome,” he said. The DA leader proposed that outside industry experts should be both apolitical and leading experts in the energy field. Steenhuisen went on to say that the expert must be sufficiently empowered to do whatever it took to stabilise the current generation fleet and bring additional generation on board, without their hands tied by red tape that had held back recovery until now. In addition, the party said their proposal required the executive authority to assemble a team of experts, to oversee the hiring of engineers and managers without having to answer to “racial bean counters in any ANC ministry”, and the power to make decisions on the procurement of additional electricity from independent producers, without stifling regulations imposed by Mantashe and Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel. In addition to appointing this outside expert the DA proposed a ring-fenced State of Disaster around Eskom and the country's electricity supply. The party said this would allow for the circumvention of the current legislation that prevented the acquisition of additional power from independent power producers. The party also wanted Ramaphosa to fire Mantashe for what it called "multiple failures". “He is responsible for the dysfunctional regulatory framework that has prevented our energy sector's recovery. He has repeatedly blocked renewable energy projects. He has allowed the Risk Mitigation [Independent] Power Producer Procurement Programme to stall in the middle of the crisis, and he cannot see beyond coal. He must go, and he must go now,” the party said.

Eskom se bedryfshoof, Jan Oberholzer, sê die kragvoorsiener kan geen waarborg gee oor wanneer beurtkrag na laer fases geskuif sal word nie. Hy het by 'n mediakonferensie oor huidige stelselprobleme gesê 18 opwekkingseenhede sal na verwagting weer in werking gestel word. Die verlaging van die fase van beurtkrag sal afhang van die werk wat gedoen word om meer opwekkingseenhede aan te skakel om die opwekkingsvermoë te vergroot:

Eskom het vandag gewaarsku dat Suid-Afrikaners hulself moet gereed maak vir nog 'n jaar van beurtkrag. Eskom se bedryfshoof, Jan Oberholzer, sê al is daar al baie planne in plek om beurtkrag tot 'n einde te bring, sal dit ten minste nog 'n jaar neem voordat enige bykomende kapasiteit by die nasionale netwerk gevoeg kan word. Kosmos 94.1 Nuus se korrespondent in Kaapstad, Fritz Platt ...

State-owned utility Eskom will continue to implement load-shedding for the rest of this week, with the potential for the stage to be either increased or decreased on short notice, depending on the units being returned to service or further breakdowns, COO Jan Oberholzer indicated during a briefing on September 12. As previously communicated by the entity, Stage 3 is currently being implemented, and will continue until 05:00 on Tuesday morning. From then, Stage 2 will be implemented for the rest of the week, until midnight on Friday. Oberholzer outlined that over the course of last week, considerable capacity was lost owing to unplanned outages, combined with planned maintenance. About 11%, or just under 5 200 MW are on planned maintenance, and during the week, 42 units tripped, some more than once, which equated to just under 24 000 MW of capacity lost. Eskom has since managed to return 37 of these units, about 22 0000 MW of capacity. This led to different stages of load-shedding being implemented over the week, with Stage 4 implemented over the weekend owed to “drastic” measures needing to be taken on Saturday morning to replenish diesel and pump storage levels. Oberholzer said there was no indication that these breakdowns were an act of sabotage. Oberholzer termed this a “very disappointing week” in terms of generation performance for the entity and apologised to South Africans for the continued implementation of load-shedding, with Eskom unable to meet its mandate of providing sustainable electricity to the country. He said the Stage 2 and 3 load-shedding for this week was necessary to ensure that dam and diesel levels remain sufficient while the remaining units are brought back to service. Oberholzer said that, in the lower demand summer period, sporadic load-shedding would remain, with planned maintenance to occur. He indicated that the system was closely monitored. Oberholzer attributed last week's poor performance and the continued implementation of load-shedding, to a number of factors, including the various necessary plans being undertaken to increase generation capacity. He said that, over the next 12 months or so, the benefits thereof would not be realised and the country would continue to rely on an old, unreliable coal fleet that continued to deteriorate owing to inadequate capacity to undertake maintenance. Further, Oberholzer said demand and supply were not in balance and Eskom had to run emergencies when it had capacity challenges because of this. He indicated that Eskom had to balance the delicate situation of needing to undertake maintenance on units, but being unable to take these off the grid simultaneously. Oberholzer said Eskom would be ramping up planned maintenance as the country goes into the summer months; however, this would still be insufficient. Moreover, he said maintenance had not been yielding the required results and effects, with many units returning from this and still suffering breakdowns, with the poor quality of work owing to a lack of skills and requisite experience, internally and from some partner contractors. Oberholzer said Eskom was currently dealing with this aspect and would soon communicate the actions to implement to bring in the expertise and competence where needed. Oberholzer also noted that Eskom had already spent about R7.7-billion in the first six months, considerably over its budget and leaving it on track to overspend for the full year. “This is a tough space to be in, with no money, and needing to use emergencies because there is not enough capacity to supply for the country,” he lamented. KOEBERG UPDATE Following a report by News24 earlier on September 12 that a steam generator meant for the Koeberg station had been dropped in the manufacturing facility in China, Oberholzer confirmed that this did occur – but clarified that it happened about a year and a half ago. He acknowledged that this had resulted in delays to this steam generator being delivered – it is slated ...

State-owned utility Eskom will continue to implement load-shedding for the rest of this week, with the potential for the stage to be either increased or decreased on short notice, depending on the units being returned to service or further breakdowns, COO Jan Oberholzer indicated during a briefing on September 12. As previously communicated by the entity, Stage 3 is currently being implemented, and will continue until 05:00 on Tuesday morning. From then, Stage 2 will be implemented for the rest of the week, until midnight on Friday. Oberholzer outlined that over the course of last week, considerable capacity was lost owing to unplanned outages, combined with planned maintenance. About 11%, or just under 5 200 MW are on planned maintenance, and during the week, 42 units tripped, some more than once, which equated to just under 24 000 MW of capacity lost. Eskom has since managed to return 37 of these units, about 22 0000 MW of capacity. This led to different stages of load-shedding being implemented over the week, with Stage 4 implemented over the weekend owed to “drastic” measures needing to be taken on Saturday morning to replenish diesel and pump storage levels. Oberholzer said there was no indication that these breakdowns were an act of sabotage. Oberholzer termed this a “very disappointing week” in terms of generation performance for the entity and apologised to South Africans for the continued implementation of load-shedding, with Eskom unable to meet its mandate of providing sustainable electricity to the country. He said the Stage 2 and 3 load-shedding for this week was necessary to ensure that dam and diesel levels remain sufficient while the remaining units are brought back to service. Oberholzer said that, in the lower demand summer period, sporadic load-shedding would remain, with planned maintenance to occur. He indicated that the system was closely monitored. Oberholzer attributed last week's poor performance and the continued implementation of load-shedding, to a number of factors, including the various necessary plans being undertaken to increase generation capacity. He said that, over the next 12 months or so, the benefits thereof would not be realised and the country would continue to rely on an old, unreliable coal fleet that continued to deteriorate owing to inadequate capacity to undertake maintenance. Further, Oberholzer said demand and supply were not in balance and Eskom had to run emergencies when it had capacity challenges because of this. He indicated that Eskom had to balance the delicate situation of needing to undertake maintenance on units, but being unable to take these off the grid simultaneously. Oberholzer said Eskom would be ramping up planned maintenance as the country goes into the summer months; however, this would still be insufficient. Moreover, he said maintenance had not been yielding the required results and effects, with many units returning from this and still suffering breakdowns, with the poor quality of work owing to a lack of skills and requisite experience, internally and from some partner contractors. Oberholzer said Eskom was currently dealing with this aspect and would soon communicate the actions to implement to bring in the expertise and competence where needed. Oberholzer also noted that Eskom had already spent about R7.7-billion in the first six months, considerably over its budget and leaving it on track to overspend for the full year. “This is a tough space to be in, with no money, and needing to use emergencies because there is not enough capacity to supply for the country,” he lamented. KOEBERG UPDATE Following a report by News24 earlier on September 12 that a steam generator meant for the Koeberg station had been dropped in the manufacturing facility in China, Oberholzer confirmed that this did occur – but clarified that it happened about a year and a half ago. He acknowledged that this had resulted in delays to this steam generator being delivered – it is slated ...

State-owned electricity utility Eskom has confirmed that Unit 2 at the Koeberg nuclear power station was returned to service at 20:24 on Sunday, August 7. “The unit is currently loading and will require about ten days to reach full output,” spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha confirmed in an emailed response to an Engineering News enquiry. The 920-MW unit was shut for refuelling and extended maintenance on January 18 and was initially scheduled to return to service in June. The extended maintenance was also meant to have included the replacement of three steam generators, but the replacement was deferred to August 2023 following an assessment, conducted together with Framatome, which concluded that Eskom was not ready to implement the project. The deferral did not lead to any shortening in the duration of the outage, despite the fact that it accounted for one stage of load-shedding every time the utility has resorted to rotational power cuts since January. The outage coincided with the most intensive period yet for load-shedding, with Eskom having even resorted to Stage 6 cuts during a wildcat strike in late June and early July, which affected a number of its coal stations. Despite the smaller scope of the shutdown, the date for returning Unit 2 to service was initially shifted to mid-July, then the end of July and finally into August. The steam generator replacement (SGR) programme is also key to Eskom securing a Long-Term Operations licence from the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) to extend the life of the plant by a further 20 years. The licence is currently due to expire in July 2024. The application to extend the operational life was submitted by Eskom on May 10, 2021, and accepted by the NNR for further processing on August 17, 2021. On July 26 this year, the NNR confirmed that Eskom had submitted the safety case in support of its application to extend Koeberg's operational life. The replacement of the Unit 1 steam generators, meanwhile, is still planned to take place during the unit's upcoming extended maintenance, scheduled for December. However, concerns have already been raised about Eskom's readiness for that outage. These concerns coincide with major changes to the leadership at Koeberg, with Eskom announcing in early July that Mahesh Valaitham would act as Koeberg power station GM, owing to the fact that the current acting GM, Nomawethu Mtwebana, had been selected to join the World Association of Nuclear Operators, which is based in the US, as a reverse loanee for the next year. In addition, Eskom chief nuclear officer Riedewaan Barkadien departed the organisation at the end of July, with Keith Featherstone acting in the position while a recruitment process was undertaken. COO Jan Oberholzer has stated previously that the deferral of the Unit 2 SGR programme was “not ideal”, as it would not take place close to the expiry of the unit's licence. “[The delays have] unfortunately created a situation that we are cramping what needs to happen for the long-term operation of Koeberg right until the end, and that means that the risk obviously is increased.”

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has questioned the skills of Eskom CEO André de Ruyter, saying he isn't the type of leader Eskom needs at the moment. In an interview with the Mail & Guardian, the minister, who is also the national chairperson of the African National Congress, said that the power utility currently needs a "fixer", and De Ruyter isn't necessarily that person due to a skills mismatch. De Ruyter holds a Master of Business Administration from the Nyenrode Business University in the Netherlands, a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of South Africa, a Bachelor of Civil Law and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pretoria. He is not an engineer, a sticking point for Mantashe, who said that running "technical machinery" requires "technical skills". The minister admitted to the Mail & Guardian that from a theoretical perspective, De Ruyter understands what is going on at the power utility. But there's a marked difference in speaking about Eskom's challenges with chief operating officer, Jan Oberholzer, who is an engineer. ". If you go to Eskom [and] you talk to the chief executive, at a theoretical level it's good. But when you talk to the chief operating officer [Oberholzer], who is an engineer, you feel the difference, because that engineer understands issues, he understands that to deal with load shedding you needs to maintain and service units that are not decommissioned, but not giving us megawatts," he said. Mantashe described De Ruyter as an "alpha" who joins an institution after the fixer has done their work. "Eskom needs a fixer, a person who focuses on what is broken, and [who will] try to fix what is broken, and once he or she fixes it, moves on. Then you can have an alpha," Mantashe told the publication. Mantashe also took aim at the Eskom board – which does not have an accountant or an engineer who arguably would be suited to deal with its debt burden and operational challenges. Mantashe said that the skills gap of executives and the board is something government should look into. The minister said that because Eskom does not fall within the oversight of his department, he does not have a say on who should be the CEO. News24 has reported that the ANC's National Executive Committee have heard calls for Eskom to be shifted to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, under Mantashe - which may be a point of debate at the upcoming policy conference. News24 also reported that Mantashe proposed a second state power utility to overcome energy supply constraints, and that President Cyril Ramaphosa has endorsed the proposal. De Ruyter joined Eskom in January 2020, after the country experienced Stage 6 load-shedding the prior year. Since he took over, he had to contend with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated lockdown eating into Eskom's revenue while trying to manage the debt burden and the restructuring of the power utility. In 2021, South Africans experienced their worst year of load-shedding with power outages occurring 13% of the time. De Ruyter, however, has been outspoken about the government's delayed decisions in getting generation capacity online in time, which has now escalated into the load-shedding South Africans experience. Government is set to announce a plan to resolve the energy crisis. Eskom declined to comment on Mantashe's comments.

Eskom sê hy was weens die voortslepende onbeskermde arbeidsoptrede verplig om fase vier-beurtkrag in te stel, in 'n poging om nood-opwekkingsreserwes te behou. Die bedryfshoof, Jan Oberholzer, sê die onwettige staking het 'n uitwerking gehad op die bedryf van verskeie kragstasies. Hy doen 'n beroep op vakbonde en stakende werknemers om hulle te weerhou van onwettige en ondemokratiese gedrag. Oberholzer sê fase vier-beurtkrag is nodig om die kragstelsel en noodreserwes te beskerm.

Eskom se bedryfshoof, Jan Oberholzer, sê daar is ‘n moontlikheid dat beurtkrag tot hoër vlakke verhoog sal moet word as die huidige staking voortduur. Beurtkrag is vanoggend tot fase vier verhoog. Oberholzer het op ‘n nuuskonferensie gesê verskeie kragstasies word geraak deur die onwettige arbeidsoptrede. Hy sê Eskom is gedwing om die hantering van steenkool by kragstasies tot bestuurbare vlakke te verlaag omdat personeellede geïntimideer word om by die staking aan te sluit.

High-purity manganese facing phenomenal growth, PDAC hears The commitment of at least six major motor companies to manganese-based batteries for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is elevating the demand outlook for high purity manganese phenomenally, a Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference has been told. CPM Group lead manganese analyst Andrew Zemek highlighted high purity manganese's looming high use in the battery energy market in a special presentation at CPM Group's 2022 PDAC conference in Toronto. Next story, Stage 4 load-shedding extended into weekend as illegal strike disrupts coal plants Eskom has extended Stage 4 load-shedding – initially implemented at 11:00 on Friday June 24, as an illegal strike led to the loss of more coal production – until Sunday and the utility has also refrained from providing a system prognosis for the coming week. COO Jan Oberholzer said the decision to implement and sustain 4 000 MW of rotational cuts was taken after unplanned unavailability across the fleet rose to above 18 000 MW, partly as a result of a decision to ramp down some coal generator as a result of resource constraints triggered by the labour action. In other news, Is it possible to convert old coal mines into successful farms? The rehabilitation of South Africa's closed coal mines has long been a source of contention among miners, environmental activists and affected communities. Numerous old mines were not rehabilitated at all, while many others were rehabilitated to within only the bare minimum requirements of the law, leaving the land looking restored but, ultimately, not suitable for the growing of crops, owing to the plethora of toxic chemicals and metals that remain in the soil and water. Also making headlines, TNPA embarks on ambitious R9.1bn seven-year infrastructure development programme Further to Transnet National Port Authority's (TNPA's) “reimagined” operational model, launched in November last year, and increased efficiency initiatives that are under way, the State-owned utility has announced it will spend R9.1-billion over the next seven years on capital projects in the Central Region ports. The Central Region ports comprise Ngqura, Gqeberha and East London. Next story, Sibanye's Stillwater mine suspended for 4-6 weeks The Stillwater mine, in Montana, will remain suspended for four to six weeks to allow for access to the mine to be restored following recent flooding, precious metals miner Sibanye-Stillwater reported on Friday. The Stillwater mine accounts for about 60% of mined production from the group's US platinum-group metals (PGM) operations. In other news, SPONSORED POST Strong investment case for country's mining sector, but issues must be addressed There are a myriad of opportunities that can be capitalised on in South Africa's mining sector and there has been notable progress in improving the state of the industry; however, to further enhance this and attract more investment, it is critical that several issues be resolved. This was the message from speakers during the South Africa Mining Investment Forum hosted by Brand South Africa. The South African Mining Investment Forum took place as a precursor to the Investing in African Mining Indaba. Also making headlines, SPONSORED POST Are you planning on implementing a Drone program, but struggle to justify the cost of obtaining and maintaining an ROC? We can assist you to conduct your own legal flight operations with substantial savings Next story, SPONSORED POST Mining and the environment COURSE AIM: To gain an understanding of the theory, concepts and legislation related to mining and the environment so that the student is able to broadly identify and develop plans to address environmental impacts associated with mining activities. In other news, Premier African enters into prepayment deal for Zulu pilot plant Aim-traded Premier African Minerals has entered into a marketing and prepayment agreement in the form of a binding he...

Eskom has extended Stage 4 load-shedding – initially implemented at 11:00 on Friday June 24, after an illegal strike led to the loss of more coal production – until Sunday and the utility has also refrained from providing a system prognosis for the coming week. COO Jan Oberholzer said the decision to implement and sustain 4 000 MW of rotational cuts was taken after unplanned unavailability across the fleet rose to above 18 000 MW, partly as a result of a decision to ramp-down some coal generators as a result of the resource constraints triggered by the labour action. Total unavailability stood at above 20 000 MW on Friday afternoon. However, acting generation executive Rhulani Mathebula said there had been no evidence of sabotage at any of the seven affected stations. The decision to intensify and extend load-shedding was also taken to preserve diesel stocks at the Ankerlig and Gourikwa open-cycle gas turbines, which had been used extensively during the week. Stocks at Ankerlig, which can be refuelled only by road tanker, had fallen to 30% after all nine units were deployed extensively on Thursday. Production was halted at the power station on Friday to preserve the remaining diesel. Reports of uprotected strike action, often accompanied by acts of intimidation in the form of threatening cellphone message and stone throwing, had been received from Matla, Duvha, Hendrina, Arnot, Camden, Matimba and Medupi. Groups of between 50 and 100 workers were said to be involved in the action at each site, and were preventing hundreds of other Eskom workers and contractors from entering the power stations. Many workers and contractors had also decided to stay away as a result of threats sent to their cellphones. The industrial unrest arose after the utility declared a deadlock in wage talks earlier in the week and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) stated that Eskom management should "take full responsibility for the protests that are taking place at power stations across the country". "They arrogantly collapsed wage talks on Tuesday and now workers are angry," Numsa wrote on its official Twitter account. Some 30 000 Eskom workers falling under the central bargaining forum (CBF) are affected by the dispute, which has been referred to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) for urgent conciliation. Human resources GM Thulane Ngele described as inaccurate claims by Numsa that Eskom had walked out of the wage talks. Ngele said that a deadlock was declare once it became apparent that the positions of the parties were so far apart that there was no prospect of a resolution being found within the CBF itself. "When there is no prospect that parties can meet one another, then one party or all the parties can declare a deadlock. "So we declared a deadlock in order for us to move to the next phase of the process, which is the CCMA conciliation process," he explained, adding that it had requested an expedited process be implemented. "We've asked them for an expedited process, which they normally give, and we hope that we are going to have discussions with trade unions to try and settle this particular dispute next week some time." As an essential service, workers at Eskom are not legally entitled to strike and the utility has secured an court interdict against the action. Oberholzer said that Eskom had procedures in place to discipline employees who engaged in illegal industrial action.

Eskom se bedryfshoof, Jan Oberholzer, sê slegs een van die agt kragopwekkings-eenhede wat Saterdag onklaar geraak het, is intussen herstel. Oberholzer sê die eenhede het onklaar geraak weens buise wat lek in die verouderde eenhede. Hy sê dit sal langer as tien dae neem om die skade aan die verskillende buise te herstel.

Eskom management has painted a bleak outlook for the risk of loadshedding this week warning that the country may be placed on rotational STAGE FOUR. The power Utility's management briefed members of the media in yet yet another session about the crumbling state of the national grid. This is after the power utility lost over 17 thousand megawatts of generating capacity due to breakdown. Eskom COO, Jan Oberholzer says stage three loadshedding will be implemented tonight but stage four remains a possible reality...

Jan Oberholzer – bedryshoof, Eskom

Electricity utility Eskom has set a target date of August 2024 for the return to service of Medupi Unit 4, the generator of which was “catastrophically” damaged during an explosion on August 8, 2021. Acting generation MD Rhulani Mathebula, who has stepped into the role following the resignation of Phillip Dukashe, says assurance and forensic investigations have been completed and that management expects to institute consequence management against those involved by the end of May. The explosion occurred during the displacement of hydrogen with carbon dioxide and air, respectively, for the purposes of finding an external leak. Mathebula reports that its captive insurer, ESCAP, has accepted the admissibility of the claim report issued by the loss adjuster, Sedgwick South Africa, and that the commercial process and award of the first contract for the refurbishment of the generator stator is expected by no later than June 15. “Based on preliminary results from the property damage assessment and long-lead items, the commercial operation of Medupi Unit 4 is expected by August 2024,” he reports. Meanwhile, Eskom also reports that functional specification has been completed for sign-off on the installation of flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) on the six Medupi units, in line with a stipulation of a World Bank loan. COO Jan Oberholzer says the retrofitting of FGD to the six Medupi units at the power station is expected to cost between R35-billion and R42-billion, based on its experience with installing the technology at the Kusile power station. Eskom is working to compile a scope of work, but does not yet have a final date for the issuance of a tender. Separately, the Eskom board has approved new target dates for the completion of the remaining Kusile units, with Unit 4 slated for commercial operation in January 2023, Unit 5 in December 2023 and Unit 6 in May 2024. Previously, Eskom had expected Unit 4, which was first synchronised to the grid on December 23 last year, to enter commercial operation in July this year. Oberholzer says Eskom has every intention to “beat those dates”. To do so, however, will require more rapid progress on securing coal for the plant, as well as ensuring that the ash-handling facilities are in place.

Electricity utility Eskom has again highlighted the risk of load-shedding during the current winter period, during which it will rely heavily on the country's expensive diesel-fuelled open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs) to either avoid rotational cuts or reduce the intensity of such cuts. Transmission MD Segomoco Scheppers again confirmed that there could be as many as 104 days of load-shedding during the period from May to the end of September, with the utility having already implemented 32 days of load-shedding from January 1 to May 11. Such a worst-case scenario would arise should Eskom fail to restrict unplanned unavailability, or the combination of full and partial breakdowns, to below 12 000 MW, which has been set as the ‘base case' threshold for avoiding power cuts this winter. If breakdowns can be limited to 12 000 MW, the utility expects to operate through winter without resorting to load-shedding, while burning about R1-billion worth of diesel. However, should breakdowns rise to 13 500 MW, there will be 37 days of rotational cuts at Stage 2 (2 000 MW) and the diesel costs would rise to R3.1-billion during the period. At a breakdown level of 15 000 MW, the prognosis deteriorates materially to 104 days of load-shedding at higher than Stage 3 (3 000 MW) and a diesel burn of R7.1-billion. During the most recent summer, the average level of breakdowns during evening peaks was 14 588 MW. However, acting generation MD Rhulani Mathebula says that the performance of the coal fleet, whose unreliability lies at the heart of the current load-shedding risk, typically improves. This improvement is partly the result of lower planned maintenance, which will be ramped down to meet higher levels of winter demand of closer to 35 000 MW, as well as the fact that several of the power stations perform better in colder conditions, especially the dry-cooled plants. Already in the year-to-date, the utility has made expensive use of its OCGT plants to limit the intensity of load-shedding, have spent R6.4-billion on diesel during the 2022 financial year, its worst-ever load-shedding year. The price of diesel has also surged following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and COO Jan Oberholzer reports that Eskom is estimating that the rise will have a R15-billion to R20-billion negative impact on its costs this year. This impact will be felt directly through its purchases of diesel to produce electricity and indirectly in the rise in coal costs, given that coal miners rely heavily on diesel to produce the energy mineral. Scheppers reinforced that the utility's ability to consume diesel was, thus, constrained by the group's finances, as well as the logistical infrastructure used to supply diesel to its OCGT plants. The utility has stated previously that these logistics constraints place a R1.5-billion-a-month cap on its diesel spend, with logistics at its Ankerlig plant being particularly constrained by the fact that it relies on road tankers for refuelling. In other words, should the level of breakdowns rise to the 15 000 MW-type level, Eskom's ability to lower the intensity of load-shedding through the use of the OCGT plants will be constrained in the period ahead.

Eskom CEO, Andre de Ruyter, has apologised to the public for the recent rolling blackouts - saying top management are working towards resolving the issues faced by the power utility. Eskom has announced that Stage 2 power cuts will resume from five o'clock until 10 o'clock this evening. Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer explains further...

Eskom anticipates its “old and unreliable” system will be unable to handle the demand for power this winter. COO Jan Oberholzer said they will try their best to keep the lights on but SA should not count on it. The power utility implemented stage 2 load-shedding on Tuesday.

Eskom COO, Jan Oberholzer, says they are confident at this stage that there will be no loadshedding on election day and during the vote counting days to follow.

Eskom wil hierdie winter beurtkrag in die aand toepas - ons vra antwoorde van Eskom se bedryfshoof, Jan Oberholzer. 'n Ekonoom verduidelik wat die ekonomiese impak van kragtekorte is.

** Ons vra Jan Oberholzer van ESKOM uit oor beurtkrag en instandhoudings-werk... ** Die Reserwebank verras met 'n tweede rentekoersverlaging in minder as 'n maand - terwyl die regering nog geld vir die SAL weier. ** En, bestuur mans regtig beter as vroue?

Ons bly by beurtkrag en praat nou met ESKOM se bedryfshoof, Jan Oberholzer:

Eskom has JUST announced stage four load-shedding from two o clock, this afternoon. Earlier this morning it had announced that stage two load-shedding will continue today and tomorrow from nine-AM to six-PM but things have just suddenly gotten worse. In a statement, the power utility says this is due to a shortage of capacity and a highly constrained system. Power cuts began yesterday, but were suspended at 5 o'clock this morning. Eskom's chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer explains...