Rising to the challenge of rolling blackouts for 2010

Among the 15 guarantees required by FIFA for hosting the 2010 World Cup, catering for the international media's telecommunications requirements is top of the list. The relevant guarantee notes that “the Ministry of Communications has guaranteed that the telecommunications infrastructure will conform to FIFA's requirements. This includes the infrastructure for wire and wireless national and international telephone, data, audio and video exchanges … The Government will also help the Organising Committee to set up a fully equipped central media centre, as well as subsidiary media centres in the host cities.”

With more than 20 000 media representatives expected to hit SA shores in 2010, uninterrupted power supply before, during and after the month-long tournament is of paramount importance. FIFA sponsors, who have already shelled out R14.7 billion for the 2010 TV rights, are relying on the international media to broadcast the event and associated brand exposure without intermission across the globe.

Unfavorable headlines

Not only would power failures in the lead-up to 2010 alert international investors but the personal inconveniences experienced by visiting media could make for rather unfavorable headlines - not to speak of the infrastructure projects that are critical for making 2010 happen and are to a large extent dependent upon constant power supply.

Maybe we should take a leaf from the history books of national emergency planning, especially in relation to the requirements of hosting a FIFA World Cup.

On 19 September 1985, with just eight months to go to the kick-off of the 1986 World Cup (that had been awarded to Mexico after Colombia failed to comply with a number of FIFA guarantees), Mexico City was hit by the country's most severe earthquake ever - reaching 8.1 on the Richter Scale. Within three minutes it buried nearly 100 000 people under crumbling buildings, caused US$12 billion of damage and was felt as far away as Los Angeles.

Extraordinary response

It was only due to the extraordinary response of the Mexican president and the people that the country was able to retain the rights for hosting the world's biggest sporting event in 1986.

In particular, the following measures were key to turning the desperate situation Mexico City was facing around:

• Within hours of the calamity, Mexican President Miguel de la Madrid toured affected areas extensively and canceled a scheduled visit to the United Nations in New York;
  
• An emergency meeting of the Mexican cabinet was held, with all members reporting on damages within their areas of responsibility;
  
• The President created a Metropolitan Emergency Committee headed by the mayor of Mexico City and a National Emergency Committee headed by the Federal Secretary of State;
  
• Expert assistance was obtained from 43 countries and full cooperation granted by all government ministries;
  
• A massive volunteer programme was organised by the public, producing heroic acts on a daily basis.

At the center of it were the now world-famous "Topos" (groundhogs) corps that saved countless lives up to one week after the quake.

The 1986 FIFA World Cup went down in history as one of the most memorable FIFA events ever, as the Mexican people went out of their way to showcase their hospitality and ingenuity to visitors. As one volunteer stated, “the country was transformed in a serious way. The people who lived through the earthquake, participated in innumerable acts of solidarity. We proved to ourselves that this was a country that could rise to the challenge, that we had the will to do so … it was a test of how solidarity can help overcome the challenges.”

Calls for innovative solutions

Rising to the challenge posed by the prospect of rolling blackouts for another eight years, calls for innovative solutions now more than ever.

According to Andrew Etzinger, Eskom's chief of demand side management, electricity reserves have dropped during the past year from +7% to -17% (a nett 24% drop) because of a decline in generation performance. This points to generation productivity rather than demand management holding the key to turning around the national energy crisis.

As with any technological challenge, the solution will require as much as ingenuity as engineering - as Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge… we can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”