https://www.engineeringnews.co.za
Cable|Coal|Copper|Energy|Engineering|Generator|Pipe|Power|Service|System|Systems|Training|Operations|Pipe
Cable|Coal|Copper|Energy|Engineering|Generator|Pipe|Power|Service|System|Systems|Training|Operations|Pipe
cable|coal|copper|energy|engineering|generator|pipe-company|power|service|system|systems|training|operations|pipe

Gordhan reports yet another sabotage incident at Hendrina power station

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan

Photo by Creamer Media Chief Photographer Donna Slater

20th May 2022

By: Terence Creamer

Creamer Media Editor

     

Font size: - +

A day after Eskom confirmed incidents of sabotage at its Tutuka power station, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan alleged that another incident of sabotage had taken place at the Hendrina power station.

The Hendrina incident raises to six the number of incidents of suspected sabotage that have been reported to the South African Police Service since March 2021.

Addressing lawmakers on the occasion of his department’s Budget Vote, Gordhan said the Hendrina incident involved the theft of flexible copper bars next to the generator of a unit that was due to be returned to service.

The theft, which could only have been perpetrated by people “within the power station” itself, prevented the unit from being synchronised to the network and, thus, contributed to Eskom having to continue with the implementation of load-shedding.

“These are what engineers call single points of failure,” he said.

The incident follows confirmation by Eskom that two recent incidents at the Tutuka power station were being treated as acts of sabotage.

A cable was severed at Tutuka Unit 5, delaying the unit’s return to service by three days, and once located and repaired, it was discovered that the control air pipe supplying the turbine systems had been cut with a power tool causing a drop in the control air pressure and further delaying the unit’s return to service.

Eskom considered the incidents to be deliberate acts of sabotage by someone who had access to the site where only employees were allowed and had, thus, laid criminal charges with the South African Police Service.

In November, Eskom announced that the collapse of a distribution-line tower providing power to the coal conveyor system at the Lethabo power station, in the Free State, was a “deliberate act of sabotage”.

The sabotage occurred at about 18:00 on Wednesday November 17 and was implemented in such a way as to ensure that the tower collapsed onto a second distribution line, providing double redundancy to the conveyor system.

Eskom is also investigating an incident at the Duvha power station.

Gordhan said that all corruption and disruption, whether from within Eskom, or from “counter-revolutionary quarters or criminals outside” the utility had to be combatted.

“Amongst other revelations that have occurred over the past few days – the corruption with regard to the supply of oil and the cable that was cut at another power station – are all directly related to the load-shedding that we experience today, over and above other operational issues.”

Meanwhile, Gordhan announced that Eskom was taking urgent steps to improve the performance of its generation division, where the energy availability factor of the fleet had slumped to 58% year-to-date.

"Daily production and oversight meetings are held to hold power station management accountable for performance.

"An operations excellence initiative is also in place to identify the major causes of underperformance and to make improvements.

"At selected power stations war rooms will be set up to ensure that production challenges get tackled in a systematic way," he said.

Training and skills development were also being prioritised, given that "a lack of engineering and technical skills and experience in Eskom remains a significant challenge".

"A skills mentoring programme, using highly experienced power station managers, has been launched.

"This team will be deployed to power stations where load losses are particularly severe."

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Comments

Latest News

Magazine video image
Magazine round up | 29 March 2024
29th March 2024

Showroom

Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East
Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East

Weir Minerals Europe, Middle East and Africa is a global supplier of excellent minerals solutions, including pumps, valves, hydrocyclones,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
SBS Tanks
SBS Tanks

SBS® Tanks is a leading provider of innovative water security solutions with offices in Southern Africa, East and West Africa, the USA and an...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.1 0.158s - 179pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now