Eskom, South Africa’s state-run power utility, will begin operating wind turbines sometime this year in order to boost the supply of electricity to the nation’s homes and businesses. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that the country, which will host the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament, needs to build new power stations and increase output in order to avoid a repeat of nationwide blackouts that occurred there last January. Fani Zulu, an Eskom spokesperson quoted by AFP, says the project will cost more than the coal-fired plants currently in operation, but “by all means, it is a worthwhile cost.” The utility plans to operate 50 turbines that will each generate 2 megawatts of power. Eskom generates approximately 45 percent of the electricity used on the African continent.
