Medupi power station
Eskom can't blame COVID-19 for power cuts - Cosatu
Eskom said that COVID-19 was having an impact on operations, with 48 contractors infected at the Medupi power station alone.
Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter said that the utility's power generating system was looking good and it was managing to keep the lights on.
The utility is warning that it could implement stage two load shedding if the situation doesn't improve.
Eskom said two generation units at the Kendal and Tutuka power stations tripped on Wednesday further contributing to the constraints.
Two of the utility's generation units tripped and went offline at the Medupi and Thuthuka power stations on Tuesday night.
Medupi and Kusile, which will be among the largest coal power stations in the world when complete, have been beset by delays and faults that have hobbled their electricity output.
He says he's instructed experts to reconfigure the coal handling systems at some power stations.
This is a key issue highlighted in the 2019 integrated resource plan being presented to Parliament’s Mineral Resources and Energy Portfolio Committee.
The Medupi power station has been at the center of the recent load shedding due to coal and handling issues that created a shortage of generation capacity.
He said while coal generation would continue for the foreseeable future, clean energy would gradually increase in the period to 2030.
Stage 1 load shedding on Saturday is expected to start at 9 am until 11 pm.
Eskom said it produced 190 MW at Medupi’s unit 1 for the first time, making it the last of the six units to be synchronised to the national grid.
The Kusile and Medupi power stations, which are key to the country’s power security, have been hit by massive delays and cost overruns in recent years.
A bank official has told Reuters that $480 million is aimed at Eskom’s Medupi power station.
Eskom is faced with aging infrastructure at most of its stations and has been struggling to complete construction at Kusile and Medupi.
The parastatal says around 10 reputable international companies were contracted to conduct crucial work on the two power stations over a period of time but continued to deliver substandard work.
Eskom CEO Phakamani Hadebe says bloated costs and missed deadlines at the Medupi Power Station have limited electricity supply.
The coal-fired unit in Limpopo province is a rare example of a Medupi project that has been completed ahead of time.
The power utility has signed a R19.6 billion loan agreement with the China Development Bank to help finance the Medupi coal power plant.