Eskom Says It Will Need Over R300 Billion To Upgrade Its Power Plants
Eskom Says It Will Need Over R300 Billion To Upgrade Its Power Plants. The fight against pollution and climate change has seen many governments around the world introduce stricter laws to industrial companies which emit toxic gases to the environment. One of the gases that are released into the atmosphere when burning coal is Carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a colourless and odourless gas but in the atmosphere it is one of several gases that can trap the earth’s heat. When such gases are produced they collect in the atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that has bounced off the earth’s surface.
Eskom briefed parliament on its efforts to curb carbon emissions on Tuesday (9 March), warning that its coal-powered plants will need significant investments to meet the country’s new pollution standards.
According to the Department of Energy, South Africa mainly relies on coal powered power plants to generate electricity as about 77% of its needs are provided by coal. Even though this is the most cost effective and energy efficient way of generating electricity, it still impacts the environment in a negative way.
According to Full View, Eskom chief executive Andre De Ruyter told parliament that the power utility is ‘very aware’ of the negative environmental impact of some of its operations, particularly the emissions and water use of its coal-fired plants. With the introduction of new emissions standards in the country, De Ruyter said that a number of Eskom’s coal-fired power plants will have to undergo a series of upgrades. This is because electrostatic participators on certain plants are incapable of meeting the new emissions standards. De Ruyter said that the cost of bringing the ageing coal fleet into full compliance would exceed R300 billion and would involve Eskom retrofitting more economical and environmentally-friendly technologies, while still maintaining adequate power supply for the country.
He also said that the installation of these technologies will also have an impact on power station output, and would require their own respective costs. Eskom said that it is aiming for a net-zero greenhouse gas emission goal by 2050. While this timeline is still a ways out, Eskom said that action is needed now to reduce the environmental impact of its ageing coal fleet. It added that it was actively researching technologies to help it meet its emissions goal.
