The Current | Ep 2 | Unplugging Eskom's woes

In this episode, Investec's Martin Meyer and Ayan Ghosh are joined by Rudi Dicks, the head of project management in the office of the Presidency. Together they discuss the challenges facing Eskom and the feasibility of the plans to turn the ailing utility around. The episode covers infrastructure constraints, particularly in transmission, skills needed, investment, collaboration, unbundling, and a look at Brazil as a developing country from which SA can learn much about renewable energy transition.

00:00 Intro
02:04 Eskom’s “chicken and egg” maintenance dilemma
04:16 German VGBE consortium’s damning report
06:28 Investment in transmission is the most important factor
07:40 Eskom needs to decarbonize for economic and sustainability reasons
11:08 Balancing FDI and local investment into renewables
12:43 Progress on the unbundling of Eskom into three separate entities
15:59 South Africans will need to be patient. The transition will be slow
16:37 What lessons can we learn from Brazil’s energy transition
18:22 South Africa is the leading investment destination for renewable energy
20:58 Poor logistics network is impacting Eskom
23:07 Evidence providing hope that Eskom is on the right track

This episode was brought to you by Investec Corporate and Institutional Banking. The Energy and Infrastructure team offer funding solutions and a full range of specialist financial services across a wide range of infrastructure sectors, including renewable energy.

The team comprises diverse skills in banking, advisory, finance, law, engineering, power development and project management.
Learn more: https://www.investec.com/en_za/investec-for-corporates/finance/power-and-infrastructure-finance.html