Stage 2 load-shedding to continue throughout the week
Power utility Eskom has announced that, owing to insufficient generation capacity and the inability to replenish emergency reserves over the past weekend, Stage 2 load-shedding will continue to be implemented throughout the week of November 8 to 13.
Eskom notes that, on November 7, a unit each at the Medupi and Matla power stations had tripped.
By Sunday afternoon, total breakdowns amounted to 16 693 MW, while planned maintenance was 5 769 MW of capacity.
Meanwhile, Eskom teams had successfully returned two of the three generators at Kendal power station following the shutdown on Friday due to coal constraints. A unit each at the Lethabo and Majuba power station were also returned to service from boiler tube leak repairs.
Further exacerbating the power shortages was a major incident in Zambia, on November 6, which has affected the entire Southern African Power Pool, resulting in imported power from Cahora Bassa, in Mozambique, being reduced by 1 000 MW.
"Despite the implementation of Stage 2 load-shedding, the events over the past two days have required extensive use of emergency generating reserves, hampering the recovery of the dam levels at the pumped storage power stations and depleting already low diesel levels.
"The high use of open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs) over the past two weeks has resulted in limited diesel stock being available. Bulk diesel supply for the OCGT power stations is expected in mid-November," Eskom adds.
Eskom expects 12 generating units with a combined capacity of 5 271 MW to return to service during the week, but warns that the power system remains volatile and unpredictable and that higher stages of load-shedding may be implemented.
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
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?
Receive 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)
➕
Recieve 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
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation