Electricity Price increases or Load Shedding?

 As seen in my Facebook memories from 18th June 2015:-

"On the radio this morning, Redi Hlabi on 567 Cape Talk asking the question: do you want an electricity price increase or load shedding?

"The answer is neither. We've already had a 200% increase in seven years to pay for electricity that Eskom can't provide. How can a further increase provide more electricity?

"Also ESKOM have told us that the money is to pay for diesel. And we are still years behind on the new build program and maintenance program. Therefore this additional money will not reduce load shedding.

"What wasn't discussed is the huge pollution that burning diesel does and its attack on our environment, besides burning diesel's attack on burning money, which isn't in our pockets anymore."

Nuclear Power for South Africa?

The picture above is from the Green Print Nuclear is Cool Poster published in Schools by the South African government in 2009.

Nuclear Power for South Africa: 9.6 GW, ie 9,600,000,000 Watts.

R1 Trillion: R1,000,000,000,000 capital expenditure.

R104 per watt! Photovoltaic Systems with batteries are about R35 per watt.

To repay R1 trillion? R10 Billion: R10,000,000,000 per month repayments over 20 years at 10%.

4 million tax payers in South Africa, but 5% of the taxpayers pay 50% of the tax.

So if you happen to be one of these 5%, you are one of 200,000 people who need to pay R5,000,000,000 per month.

Which is R25,000 per month!

Something to look forward to in 10 years time? Without even getting electricity, and like Medupi and Kusile with no guarantee that the electricity will be available!

There and the other 3,800,000 people pay R1,315 per month.

And that's what the rich (another word for taxpayers) are being asked to do in South Africa, for "clean, reliable, environmentally" nuclear electricity.

Coal would be about R300,000.000,000 for the 9.6 GW, which is about R35 per Watt. But you still need 5,200 tons of coal per hour to run 9.6 GW of coal power stations!

And as you know coal and nuclear power stations don't run 24 hours a day 365 days a year. They need maintenance, shutdowns, refuelling, etc. And sometimes they just break.

What to do about it?

Call me, or book me, and I'll show you another way of thinking.