South Africa’s rapidly growing residential and commercial infrastructures, along with government’s lack of foresight, have forced Eskom to upscale its coal supplies and at present, only trucks can do the hauling.              While we all need electricity, one wonders when government will begin using more environmentallyfriendly forms of energy.

At the 2007 Coal Hauliers Conference held in Mpumalanga, Minister of Transport, Jeff Radebe, made an impassioned speech, pinpointing the challenges facing the country’s power generation community. In particular, he focused on the need for truck operations to lift their game. 

“Developments in the mining sector and the demand for certain mining products are increasingly putting a lot of pressure on our road networks. The rapid increase in coal hauling by road for power generation has also resulted in a significant deterioration in the conditions of our roads. This has reached a point where the surface on some roads has broken up completely. We have practically detarred some of our road network, particularly here in this province. This in turn is forcing users to use alternative longer routes to reach destinations, thereby placing an unnecessary premium on the cost of doing business. A consequent effect is that the alternative routes are suffering the same degradation as the preferred routes,” Radebe said. 

Bear in mind that this statement was made prior to the massive power cuts of early 2008 and the tragic coal truck-related road accidents of August 2008. Both crises were simply ‘chickens coming home to roost’ but nonetheless, the process of supply-chain improvement had already begun. 

A necessary evil

“Coal haulage by road is of strategic importance to the country as a whole and its socio-economic growth objectives. I am pleased that Eskom has completed a comprehensive costand- need study in terms of the strategic import routes to power stations. Eskom has also recently approved R550-billion towards the funding of our road network – even though our road network funding requirements would still not be fully covered by this contribution,” the Minister said at the conference. 

With emphasis on the perennial nemesis of all truckers, Radebe continued his speech thus: “Part of the Provincial Overloading Control Strategy prioritizes projects and overloading control on the coal haulage road network which will receive priority. The Department is currently developing a modern high-tech Traffic Control Centre near Ermelo at a cost of R43-million and has recently completed the first phase of the upgrading of the Kinross Traffic Control Centre at a cost of R3.8-million. Weighing facilities at Bethal and Standerton will follow in the 2008/2009 financial years in line with the strategy.” 

While these infrastructural and policing enhancements are necessary and laudable, they no doubt come as no surprise to transport operators who have been feeling the ‘heat’ rise as far as weighbridge action is concerned over recent years. Minister Radebe did have some additional, less predictable news to impart regarding coal truck supply-chain improvement.

“The Department is also fully supportive of the implementation of the Road Transport Management System (RTMS) previously known as the Load Accreditation Programme (LAP). The programme targets industries and its value was demonstrated in the timber and sugar industry where overloading was significantly reduced. 

“In the case of coal transport by road, a truck should not be allowed by the mining company to leave the premises of a mine when not legally loaded. The Department will give the necessary support to accelerate the implementation of the strategy in the province with special emphasis on the road freight industry.” 

Further impetus is given to these commitments with the passing of the new consignor/consignee legislation which is due to be promulgated early next year, holding mines and Eskom liable for overloaded and unsafe trucks. 

Summing up his speech, the Minister concluded: “In order to safeguard present and future investments in the required coal/freight road hauliage grid, the National Department of Transport will seek a clear commitment from all stakeholders to the prompt implementation of RTMS in the province.” 

The Vehicle Test  Centre near Ermelo weighs hundreds of trucks and it’s not unusual to find axles overloaded by as much as ten tons.

Road damage caused by coal truck traffic. Eskom has forked out millions already to do road repair work and will pay more to stem the destruction.

Spoornet uses its rail capacity for export coal transport because there’s more profit in it. Eskom will finance the building of railway lines from coal depots and mines to its power stations.

Growing demand

Keeping politico-speak chronologically sound, we hear what the erstwhile former Minister of Public Enterprises, Alec Erwin, had to say in early August 2008 at the ‘sod-turning’ of the construction site of new power station Kusile (aka Bravo). 

“South Africa must double its electricity capacity over the next twenty years in order to ensure the necessary security of electricity supply that underpins sustainable economic growth and socio economic development. It is essential that we maintain the momentum and the size of the build programme currently underway as delays will place security of supply at risk. Bravo constitutes the second of the large new generation coal-fired power stations being brought into the system,” Erwin said. 

While cracking a nod to nuclear, solar and wind energy production methods, the pressing issue for Erwin was coal – and trucks are right in the thick of things. 

“There is little doubt that the construction of Bravo will have a positive impact on the economy of the Mpumalanga province. However, we also have to tackle the urgent problem of the condition of the roads in the Mpumalanga area. The road network between the mines and the power stations has been severely damaged. This is the result of an average of 800 heavily-laden trucks travelling this route on a daily basis. An additional 45 million tons of coal has now been procured from mines in order to maximise output at coal fired power stations,” Erwin continued. 

“Ninety percent of this will be transported by road, which will no doubt exacerbate an already critical situation. A long term strategy between Eskom and Transnet, which will see a move away from roads to increased rail volumes, is under consideration, but this does not solve the immediate problem.” 

While several measures are currently underway to minimise the impact of coal trucks on the roads, including an emergency road repair programme funded by Eskom, this is inadequate and needs to be augmented by alternative measures to reduce the number of coal trucks on the roads in the short term, and immediate road upgrades are required for the remainder of the forecast truck volumes, he said. 

Three power stations, Majuba, Tutuka and Camden, are responsible for over sixty percent of all truck kilometres in the coal-by-road supply chain, Erwin explained. 

“Focusing immediate attention on this will address fifty percent of daily truck loads on the road. The cost of rehabilitation, repair and rebuilding of the priority roads will be larger than anything that the provincial budget can bear and accordingly, this is a matter that is receiving urgent attention from all stakeholders, including National Treasury, the Department of Transport, as well as the provincial authorities.” 

It goes without saying that electricity is of utmost importance to every citizen in this country. Having heard from the legislators, it is now up to industry and the citizens of South Africa to ensure we don’t waste any of our resources in its provision or use.