Mpumalanga power station fire poses no load-shedding threat – Eskom
A massive blaze at the Kriel Power Station raised concern that power cuts will soon be on the cards again.
Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena says that last night’s fire at the Kriel Power Station will not result in load-shedding, thanks to the utility’s generation recovery plan.
Load-shedding has been suspended for over seven months, and worries crept in that the reprieve would soon be over after a fire broke out at the coal-fired station located between Kriel and Ogies in Mpumalanga.
The Kriel station has six generating units, each generating 500MW.
Loadshedding suspended for over seven months: Unplanned outages at four-year low, diesel savings reach R13.7 billion year-on-year #GenerationRecoveryPlan #EndingLoadshedding pic.twitter.com/GR3brYZAcU
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) November 1, 2024
In a statement released today, Mokwena says: “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 fire broke out at around 17:00 at Unit 6. “A preliminary investigation revealed that an oil pipe had broken, causing an oil spill on the hot surfaces of the turbine, which triggered a fire.”
The fire has been contained. Fortunately, no personnel were injured and the other units at the station remain fully operational.
“The standard investigation procedure is now underway to assess the extent of the damage, as well as the time required for repairs and restoration. Eskom will make a further announcement when the results of this investigation are finalised,” Mokwena adds.
She explains that the unit’s offline status means unplanned outages now total 8 483MW, but says this figure is still 4 517MW below the ‘base case for summer 2024’.
“The current available generation capacity is 30 809MW, while today’s peak demand is forecasted at 26 364MW. There are currently adequate reserves for evening peak, with an additional 720MW anticipated to return to service later today.”
The power utility ‘remains committed to maintaining a reliable power supply’, she says.
Watch the fire incident:
Eskom has confirmed that an explosion which rocked its coal-fired Kriel Power Station will not affect the current load shedding status in the country. #KrielPowerStation #Eskom #Mpumalanga #LoadShedding @TheCitizen_News pic.twitter.com/uWCaPQPUB0
— 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕 ⚡️ (@FaizelPatel143) November 4, 2024
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