Willis Eschenbach nails it

The National Energy Regulator, NERSA, is holding public hearings on why Eskom should not more than double the cost of electricity in the next five years*. If anybody’s input is taken seriously, that would be a first for these kind of things**… or maybe I’m just cynical.

The difference between rich and poor, between developed and developing, is the availability of inexpensive energy. A kilowatt-hour is the same amount of work as a hard days labor by an adult. We’re rich because we have (or at least had) access to the hardworking servants of inexpensive energy. We have inexpensive electrical and mechanical slaves to do our work for us.

RTWT.

H/T to Claire.

* Because somewhere after 1994 they decided that maintenance was not as important as shiny new BMWs, so that got pushed out a bit until the system started breaking, and now they have to work overtime to catch up to where we were.

** There is a requirement for public consultation in all processes like this. There is however no requirement for actually taking said consultation seriously.