‘KZN’s energy distribution needs fixing’
PRASHEEN Maharaj, the president of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, called on the eThekwini Municipality to fix its energy distribution networks.
This was during the two-day eThekwini Energy Transformation Summit last week which looked at ways to provide energy security amid rolling blackouts in the country.
Aside from load shedding, Durban has been hit almost weekly by power outages. Two weeks ago, a massive power outage affected several areas including Reservoir Hills, Glenwood, Berea, Overport, Sydenham and Bluff. Last week, Reservoir Hills was without electricity for more than 24 hours.
Maharaj, who was one of the last speakers on Wednesday, said the city was having problems with its distribution networks.
He reminded the public that the city was not a generator of energy but a distributor, and this needed to be fixed.
“You can have all the energy in the world, but if the eThekwini Municipality cannot distribute it, it doesn’t take away the load shedding problem,” he said.
He added there were four fundamental problems that were impacting the distribution of energy by eThekwini.
The first, he said, was aged equipment.
“Many of the substations, transformers and other distribution networks were installed in the 70s and 80s and have not been upgraded to cope with the current demand.”
The second was the lack of informed and scheduled preventative maintenance of distribution equipment.
The third, he said, was lack of timeous restoration and replacement of key equipment post the April 2022 flood damage.
The fourth problem, he said, was crime.
“This includes the theft of cables and deliberate sabotage of infrastructure. Any combination of these issues puts strain and burden on the network which is resulting in a fire-fighting approach of extended outages.
“Many of the large substations are left unattended or inadequately protected, allowing for the theft of cable and equipment. These are provincial key points that need to be protected.”
In speaking about the energy crisis as a whole, he said the lack of electricity not only affected residents but businesses.
He added that load shedding was also impacting the quality of food.
He said small businesses were also affected.
“They do not have the options and measures in place to withstand the impact of load shedding.
“The reality is that many SMMEs cannot afford to source alternative energy solutions such as generators, inverters, UPS devices, battery energy storage supply systems which can help them mitigate the impact of load shedding.”
In a follow-up interview, Maharaj told POST that the energy crisis cost the country R1 billion a day in lost economic activity.
He said this, combined with higher electricity costs and high interest rates, had put businesses and consumers under pressure.
“As organised business, we believe the energy crisis is worsening in South Africa.”
He referenced the recent National Budget Speech, where it was reported that record levels of load shedding were experienced in 2022 – 207 days of load shedding compared to 75 days in 2021.
“This illustrates the impact of the problem. As organised business, we cannot confirm the time frame and costs associated with fixing the problem. We have a big task at hand. This is dependent on several factors, such as political will, budget allocations and procurement processes.
“Citizens don’t need more grand plans. They require tangible action with clear time frames. As organised business, we are ready to work with government through an organised and well-constructed public-private partnership. The business community is ready to mobilise resources and build back better.”
He proposed a series of solutions. “Develop by region a schematic map of the reticulation and cable network and grasp a clear and concise understanding of the current condition. We will then know how bad the crisis is and can prevent the continued firefighting.”
“Based on the map, develop a Regional Priority Plan. Develop detailed public-private partnerships with Corporates who are willing to support the maintenance and upgrade of infrastructure.”
Siboniso Duma, the provincial MEC for economic development who also spoke at the summit, said coal was an important resource for energy security in the country.
“Coal is a prime commodity, which we should guard and protect if we want to remain competitive in the world.”
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube said the long-term solution to deal with the energy demand in KZN was to transition to alternative energy sources at the corporate and household level.
“We have identified a number of sustainable solutions which include the installation and supply of solar water heaters and heat pumps, solar energy, biomass, bio gas, bio fuels, wind, hydro, waste to energy, industrial symbiosis and also the circular economy and energy efficiency measures.”
She said they were establishing a KZN Energy War Room comprising government and experts to oversee the province’s response to the electricity crisis.
“We have started the roll-out of solar panels to households in the province, especially at the level of ensuring that every new development by government in the form of RDP houses and other infrastructure is fitted with the alternative energy mix.
“We are exploring interventions in the use of alternative energy sources including tapping into the Ocean energy, tidal wave, bio gas, hydrogen and renewables.”
NJ Ayuk, the chairperson of the African Energy Chamber, who is from Cameroon, said South Africa needed to use available resources and also defend them.
“You cannot back out from the energy resources that you have. We have to look at how we deal with the energy industry. Its security is so important.”
Anil Sooklal, South Africa’s ambassador to BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), said South Africa could learn much from other BRICS countries.
“Being the chair of BRICS, we will have all the BRICS leaders here in August. This will give us an opportunity to discuss and look at how we can partner in addressing our (energy) problems. We are a highly resilient, highly creative country with very capable people.
“We have come out of the depths of apartheid, and we will come out of the darkness. We will have light.”
On the second day of the summit, eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, launched the eThekwini Regional Hydrogen Strategy.
The strategy looks at building a hydrogen economy for clean energy and fuels.
Kaunda said the city had identified three hydrogen hubs – Durban Port, Richards Bay and Cato Ridge Dry Port.
He said each hub served to meet the demand and supply for conventional fuels.
“Low carbon hydrogen is catalytic for the transformation of eThekwini’s energy landscape by reducing a heavy dependence on domestically produced and imported fossil fuels, in exchange for reliance on domestically sourced renewable energy and a circular economy,” he said.