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Eskom is engaging the Department of Water and Sanitation to develop and agree on a prudent generation plan for the Gariep and Vanderkloof hydro-power stations over the next couple of years to ensure that power generation and water restrictions are managed proactively.

Eskom’s power stations supply over 90% of South Africa’s electricity needs and the use of water is vital to the electricity generation process. Eskom is a productive and responsible user of water and ensures that there is a balance between water usage and the generation of electricity to keep households and businesses functioning.

Electricity plays an integral role in society as it provides numerous social benefits and acts as a driving factor in the economy. Electricity is used to pump and purify water from the dams into the community. Without adequate access to electricity, communities would be unable to access clean and safe water for use. Access to electricity is also essential for running critical social services such as clinics and hospitals as well as ensuring that the industry continues to operate. Eskom realises the important role it plays in supporting the South African economy and continues to balance this with responsible water usage.

Eskom has a hydroelectric power scheme (the Orange River Hydro Scheme) which consists of the Gariep Dam and the Vanderkloof Dam. Both are situated in tandem on the Orange River. These power stations are used as peak demand stations. A peak demand station is used when there is a sudden increase or peak in the electricity demand which cannot be immediately met by the base load stations.

Water that flows from the Orange River is stored in the dams to raise the water levels. This water spins the turbine wheels which power the generator to produce electricity. The flowing water then flows out and re-joins the river. Throughout this process, Eskom minimises water wastage and this process does not result in reduced water available further downstream. Eskom does not consume water or require additional water to be allocated to its power stations and neither does it completely stop the flow of water downstream. It only uses the water to generate electricity and releases it back into the river, and so minimal water is lost.

Eskom takes its role in ensuring responsible water usage seriously. A Memorandum of Agreement between Eskom and the Department of Water and Sanitation governs the operation of the Orange River Hydro Scheme. The Memorandum of Agreement stipulates an annual schedule of water requirements for the downstream of Vanderkloof and Gariep dam water users.

However as the Free State Province has been declared a drought disaster area, Eskom has not requested any additional emergency release since October 2015. The extent of restrictions to be imposed on the Orange River users will be determined during the Department of Water and Sanitation’s Annual Operating Analysis to be conducted in May 2016.

Eskom is however concerned about the impact of El Nino and the intensity and duration of the drought which would see possible curtailments for other water users around 2019. To conserve water, the power company has implemented a number of management strategies including the Water Management Policy that has led to Eskom saving more than two hundred million litres of water per day. Water conservation strategies include setting water use targets according to Eskom’s Sustainability Index and adopting water-conserving technological improvements, amongst others. In addition, Eskom has proactively decided to reduce generation at its Gariep and Vanderkloof stations. This has resulted in capacity of 600MW not being fully available for dispatch. Eskom will continue to monitor the impact in the affected areas.

Issued by Eskom