South Africa: Eskom Has Plan to Beef Up Electricity

Amid a growing furore over countrywide powercuts this week, Eskom said the government had approved a R97 billion plan to boost infrastructure as part of a range of long-term measures to avert future cuts.

But consumers would have to pay more for electricity to sustain the infrastructure, which is set to come under even heavier pressure as demand grows over the next two decades.

The electricity crisis has also raised question marks about South Africa’s ability to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup, with Fifa instructing tournament stadiums to have backup generators.
Steve Lennon, the Eskom managing director in charge of resources and strategy, said three new power stations had been constructed, but Eskom was not confident this would be sufficient. “The economic boom in the country over the past five years has pushed up demand heavily, and this demand is still increasing,” he said.

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