South Africa’s thermal coal power stations are challenged by breakdowns. The forecast is that the electricity supply availability will continue to deteriorate into the future. The paper examines the performance of South Africa’s thermal coal fleet of power stations, the use of load shedding and emergency generation of diesel, and the support from complimentary supplies of base load nuclear and intermittent renewables of solar and wind. Given the magnitude and scale of loss of baseload thermal coal generation, presently in the 10 to 20 GW range, the paper questions the future of the national grid, the dynamic link that synchronously couples sources to loads. South Africa’s collection of large synchronous generators requires substantial heat energy to mechanical torque conversion to drive the rotor of the generator.  For the long run, given the tightening global climate change limits for carbon based fossil fuels, should South Africa consider domestic nuclear and or hydrogen from renewable energy resources as a clean energy heat source of equivalent magnitude? Given growing insecurity in national energy supplies, a concern is the permanent loss of valuable synchronous machine assets to scrap value. The Duvha Thermal Power Station Unit 3, a 600 MW synchronous generator, stranded since 2013, is testimony.