State-owned power utility Eskom has confirmed that tropical storm Eloise has, at this stage, not had any major negative impact on its operations.
The utility, however, says power lines in some parts of the Mpumalanga, Limpopo and northern KwaZulu-Natal provinces did experience localised outages as a result of trees and poles falling on power lines districts.
Consumers in these communities have been urged to be patient as the utility’s teams are working as fast as they can within the safety parameters during the storms to restore electricity.
With heavy rains continuing across Mpumalanga, Limpopo and parts of KwaZulu-Natal, Eskom will continue to monitor the storm and its impact on operations.
It points out that heavy rainfall for four or less days does not typically pose a significant threat to power station operations; however, continuous heavy rainfall for more than four days does tend to hamper coal handling at the power stations and the mines supplying them.