Eskom’s systemic failure: photos published
Some of the causes of the collapse are the management system and inadequate maintenance.
Image for illustration purposes.
South Africa: Eskom’s performance has collapsed because of its overly complex management system, inadequate maintenance, and low staff morale. Photos have now been published, and they show the collapse in the utility’s coal-fired power plants.
South Africa’s National Treasury commissioned the German consultancy group VGBE Energy to analyse the performance of the power plants and give recommendations for improvement. The group’s engineers have extensive experience running coal-fired plants, and they spent 4 months analysing the utility by going from plant to plant and determining which changes should be made to improve the performance of the stations.
Several issues were pointed out as key reasons why Eskom’s performance has deteriorated, among them are the complex management system, inadequate maintenance, and low staff morale. General incompetence and lack of ability to implement theoretical knowledge in practice are other factors. The report also emphasized that most of the issues relating to the low Energy Availability Factor (EAF) can be attributed to a single root cause, that being the management system which, with its governance, structure, and processes, is dysfunctional and too complex.
The utility has too many organisational layers and unclear decision-making processes, thus generating a large amount of bureaucracy and a lack of accountability. The generation fleet has been trapped within this system for too long and is not able to maintain or improve the technical performance of its plants anymore.
Many photos which show just how large the extent of the collapse is are included in the report. They illustrate the lack of maintenance and housekeeping of the power plants.
Source: Daily Investor