Generators repaired but power grid still under pressure
Power grid is once again under pressure as businesses around the country reopen.
It was reported yesterday (Wednesday) that two of Eskom’s generators had stopped working placing the South African power grid at high risk for load shedding once again.
The electricity giant warned that demand for power was sharply rising and if another generator cut out, load shedding could be implemented on an almost daily basis.
It has since been reported that these generators are back online after extensive maintenance work, but this does not mean that Eskom is out of the woods just yet.
Eskom managed to keep the lights on throughout the festive season, but the parastatal says the power grid is once again under pressure due to the reopening of businesses around the country.
Eskom was forced to implement stage three load shedding at the end of last year after a coal silo at the Majuba power station in Mpumalanga collapsed.
More than two-thirds of Eskom’s generators operate with aging equipment and a lack of maintenance is reported to be the cause of the severe constraints.
The power giant on Tuesday confirmed that one unit at the Medupi power station will go live in mid-2015 despite a missed December deadline.
Spokesperson Andrew Etzinger said construction of unit six at Medupi was complete but the parastatal was now conducting a complex cleaning procedure, which was taking longer than anticipated.
