Eskom suspends managers of underperforming plants

Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., South Africa’s state power company, said it has suspended the managers of two of its largest generating plants as the country suffers record power outages.

Eskom suspended the managers of the Kendal and Tutuka plants and asked the interim managers of the Kriel and Duvha plants to return to their original positions, Eskom said in a response to inquiries Thursday.

“This action was taken due to the sustained low yield of these plants, which requires an investigation pending disciplinary action,” Eskom said.

Together, the coal plants account for around 14,400 megawatts of generating capacity, or about a third of Eskom’s total potential production.

Eskom cut 4,000 megawatts off the grid for much of the day on Thursday and plans to reduce power availability by 3,000 megawatts on Friday as a result of a series of power failures at its plants.

Bloomberg previously reported that three plant managers had been suspended, citing people familiar with the situation.

Now read: Eskom in crisis