Cost-benefit analysis of open-cycle gas turbine replacement

Claus served as technical lead for the cost-benefit analysis with a Pegasys team for the City of Cape Town, evaluating whether to replace the City's two end-of-life open-cycle gas turbine assets with new build. Extending the City's existing analysis of direct costs and benefits, the work quantified the indirect and strategic value of the asset ( including avoided loadshedding losses, energy security, and carbon costs ) under three operating regimes, from loadshedding mitigation through peaking to ancillary services provision. Dispatch was modelled empirically from historical OCGT utilisation and projected across scenarios of South Africa's energy transition, over 25-year period. The findings have been presented to City decision-makers and are informing the investment case for the City's energy security strategy.