Eskom’s failure to have a contingency plan in place for coal supplies is nothing less than gross negligence, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Sunday.

The DA would ask Public Enterprises Minister Lynn Brown to table a contingency plan to deal with possible coal shortages nationally, following Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe’s comments that there was no “plan B” should coal supplies to the Hendrina Power Station be depleted, DA spokesperson Natasha Mazzone said in a statement.

Mazzone also intended to submit written questions in Parliament to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, as to why he and his “war room” had not overseen the drafting of plans regarding coal supply interruptions to any power stations.

“This is an issue central to South Africa’s energy supply, and the deputy president’s inaction is both disturbing and telling,” she said.

Hendrina power station, which supplied 2 000 MW of power to the national grid, was reported to have only 40 days of coal supply left.

Following the suspension of the agreement between Optimum coal mine and Eskom, there was a great risk that power being supplied from this station could be interrupted.

This would have disastrous consequences for the economy, as it would most likely increase load shedding,” Mazzone said.

“To not have a contingency plan in place when South Africa is already facing power shortages is nothing less than gross negligence.

“It is time for Eskom to get its act together. If there isn’t a ‘plan B’, they must make sure that there is one, and fast. The jobs and livelihoods of our people are at stake,” she said.

According to media reports, Eskom does not have a contingency plan if coal supplies at Hendrina power station run out, after administrators suspended a supply deal with Optimum on Friday.

Phasiwe said that while it was important to have a ‘plan B’, the parastatal would “devise one at a later stage”, according to the reports.