Eskom Backs Coal, Nuclear to Meet South Africa’s Power Needs
- Utility says it will run out of generating capacity in 2022
- Expensive renewable energy cannot support baseload power
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Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. supports getting power from independently run coal projects rather than renewable sources as South Africa’s state-owned utility expects current generation will be insufficient to meet demand by 2022.
The utility should look to buy electricity from independent coal-fueled projects, group Generation Executive Matshela Koko wrote in Johannesburg-based Business Report newspaper Tuesday. Power from coal is considered baseload, or continuous, because generation is constant. Supply from renewables, which Eskom has been buying from independent producers at the government’s request, is expensive and will make power “practically unaffordable,” he said.