Page 12 - AfrElec Week 17 2022

AfrElec ESKOM AfrElec

South African utility Eskom

warns of system overload

SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH African utility Eskom has urged the weekend, as well as delays in returning some
public to reduce electricity consumption, warn- generation units to service, has made for a very
ing that the power grid is severely constrained. constrained power system this afternoon,’’ said
Eskom attributes the shortfall to the loss of the power utility in a statement.
generation units, delays in returning repaired Eskom currently has 4,533 MW that is on
generation units to service and says it is still planned maintenance and 13,601 MW of capac-
heavily reliant on emergency reserves to meet ity unavailable due to breakdowns.
demand. Generation units at Matimba, Duvha and
‘’While no loadshedding is currently being Arnot power stations are to be repaired mean-
implemented, Eskom requests to the public to while generation units at Arnot, Kendal, Matla
reduce the consumption of electricity as any fur- and Tutuka power stations have returned to ser-
ther losses of generation capacity would force the vice. ™
implementation of loadshedding at very short
notice. The loss of multiple generators over the

Eskom to outsource maintenance

MOROCCO AS it struggles to reduce loadshedding, South “This is not a strategy that we’re going to
Africa utility Eskom has detailed a plan to pro- implement across the board, but only at those
cure engineering and maintenance services from power stations that are the significant contribu-
original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to tors to unplanned capacity losses – those are the
supplement its skills base at its ailing power sta- power stations where there is a need to bring in
tions, IOL reports. supplementary skills,” he said, as quoted by IOL.
Eskom currently has 5,353MW on planned “If all goes well, we should be able to see those
maintenance while another 14,912MW of boots on the ground … at some units, on some
capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns. power stations in the next six to eight months.”
In a statement, Eskom said it expected to De Ruyter reiterated that Eskom still sought
return nine generation units to service during over the longer term to retire about 11,000MW
the weekend. These are a unit at Hendrina and of its coal-fired stations fleet by 2035 and would
two generation units each at Arnot, Duvha, hand over the build responsibility to the private
Majuba and Tutuka power stations. It said low sector for additional capacity.
weekend demand should assist in replenishing +“Eskom will no longer build... Unbun-
emergency reserves. dling is intended to allow South Africa to meet
Meanwhile, Eskom is canvassing labour and needs of the market,” he said, noting the pro-
the government on the plan to deploy personnel cess to unbundle the transmission function to
from the OEMs for maintenance of its equip- the National Transmission Company of South
ment in plants prone to malfunction, chief exec- Africa was at an advanced stage.™
utive Andre de Ruyter said.

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 17 28•April•2022