The utility is warning that it could implement stage two load shedding if the situation doesn’t improve.
Eskom CFO Jan Oberholzer. Picture: Twitter/OberholzerMr
JOHANNESBURG – Eskom said that its ability to supply electricity over the next 24 hours had been put under strain after the latest breakdown.
This time, a conveyer belt feeding coal into the Medupi power station broke down.
At least four generating units have been impacted.
The utility is warning that it could implement stage two load shedding if the situation doesn’t improve.
There’s been ‘on/off’ load shedding since last week.
Eskom’s chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer explains what went wrong this time around.
“When you put the two conveyors together, you splice it. One of these splices got loose and we picked up a cut in one of these conveyor belts of 150m. One conveyor belt tripped but we were still fine with the other conveyor. However, we then had a trip on the other conveyor.”
He reiterated that the entire power system remained fragile.
“This morning we returned one unit from the Kriel power station and we expect another unit from Tutuka round about lunchtime but then again this morning we had to take one of the units down at Lethabo because of a leak. So we’re on a knife’s edge.”
