State power utility Eskom has moved to assure the public that it has enough generation capacity to continue staving off load shedding.
This after a fire erupted at Kriel Power Station’s Unit Six, triggered by an oil spill on the hot surfaces of the turbine.
“Eskom assures South Africans that this incident will not impact the current generation capacity or lead to load shedding. The ongoing, incremental results of the Generation Recovery Plan have continually added more of a buffer to the system to manage incidents such as this. The system has sufficient reserves.
“The station's fire and emergency team responded swiftly to extinguish and contain the fire. Eskom can confirm no personnel were injured, and all other units at the power station remain fully operational,” the power utility said of the Mpumalanga based station.
An investigation is underway to “assess the extent of the damage, as well as the time required for repairs and restoration” and Eskom is expected to announce the results of the investigation when finalised.
“Kriel Power Station Unit 6 contributes 475MW to the power grid. With this unit temporarily offline, total unplanned outages stand at 8 483MW – still 4 517MW below the base case for summer 2024.
“The current available generation capacity is 30 809MW, while [Monday’s] peak demand is forecast at 26 364MW. There are currently adequate reserves for evening peak, with an additional 720MW anticipated to return to service later [on Monday].
“Eskom remains committed to maintaining a reliable power supply and will continue to provide the public with significant updates,” Eskom said. – SAnews.gov.za
