Four of its generating units at the Medupi power station have returned to service after a conveyor belt used to move coal broke down.
Eskom’s Medupi power station. Picture: Eskom.co.za
JOHANNESBURG – Eskom said that it was not planning to implement power cuts on Friday but it warned that if there were any more significant breakdowns at its ageing power plants, it may need to impose load shedding on the country.
Four of its generating units at the Medupi power station have returned to service after a conveyor belt used to move coal broke down.
The utility said that the belt had been repaired, which improved Eskom’s ability to supply electricity.
Spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha: “We urge the people of South Africa to use electricity sparingly to assist Eskom avoid the implementation of load shedding. We will of course continue to communicate should there be that necessity.
While the utility is hoping to keep the power on this morning, tens of thousands of people in parts of Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga are not so lucky.
Eskom cut their power off at 5am, saying that it had implemented “load reduction” to avoid network overloading.
Residents in affected communities will have to wait until 9am before their electricity is switched back on again.
