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Eskom’s power system is under severe pressure and it is currently operating as many diesel generators and hydroelectric storage facilities as it can to avoid loss of load.
These are comments from Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshansha, who was discussing the issue with The Money Show.
Last night, Eskom warned that there was a high probability of loss of load should it lose more capacity.
He said the capacity shortage has been caused by the loss of multiple generation units and high head losses.
The losses are in addition to generation units that are already under planned maintenance, Eskom said.
At that time, 7,532MW was out of planned maintenance, while another 10,853MW of capacity was out of unplanned maintenance.
Eskom said its teams were working around the clock to return as many of these units as possible to service as soon as possible.
He urged the public to cut down on electricity use to help him get through the peak at night, as the power system is severely restricted.
Pressure in the system for the next few days
Mantshansha said that while they managed to survive Thursday night without shedding the cargo, the network will remain under pressure for the next few days.
“We currently have just under 11,000MW of power generation units that have failed,” he said.
He added that no one can explain why so many generating units break down at the same time.
“The reality is that we have these breakdowns, and you will find a reason here and a reason there,” Mantshansha said.
When these faults are combined, they form a large part of the total generating capacity of the power producer.
He said they can’t give strict deadlines on when they expect lost capacity to come back online.
“We are working hard to ensure that we see the reverse of these constraints in the coming days and that the system returns to normal,” Mantshansha said.
The good news is that electricity demand is expected to decline after December 16, when many industries close for the holiday season.
Eskom employees will also work through the Christmas season to perform maintenance while demand is low.
Interview with Sikonathi Mantshansha
Now read: Cargo Loss Warning for South Africa
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