Submerged power lines in the Optimum Dam near Hendrina. Photo: Eskom
Eskom provided an update on the power outage in Hendrina, Mpumalanga, which have left residents in the town, as well as the surrounding regions, without power since Saturday.
And no, the extended power outage wasn’t a result of load shedding.
Eskom said the outage occurred “when a dam on the Optimum mine overflowed, submerging the lines and leading them to trip”.
According to the power utility, this resulted in the “ongoing interruption of electricity supply” to residents in Hendrina, KwaZamokuhle, Mafred and surrounding towns.
Eskom said mine management and the power utility’s technicians were on site on Monday to assess the extent of the damage.
The outcome still looks bleak (or should we say, dark…) at this stage as no estimated time of return (ETR) could be determined.
Eskom said this was “due to the complexity of the work required and the continuing rainfall” in the region.
Moreover, residents are advised to treat all power outlets and electrical infrastructure as live, and to avoid any lines or poles on the ground.
“Eskom values the safety of its customers, employees and contractors. We regret the inconvenience caused and are working to restore supply as soon as possible,” Eskom said.
Eskom has been dealing with several other power outages on Monday, including an outage affecting Jabavu, Moroka, Orlando East and Pimville in Soweto.
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After several days at stage 6 rolling blackouts, Eskom moved the country to Stage 5 ahead of Christmas, with a move to stage 4 promised for Tuesday
Stage 6 load shedding was implemented on Friday when eight generating units went offline.
At the time, Eskom said the “the inability to pump water overnight at the pumped storage schemes and the low diesel levels has resulted in critically low emergency reserves”.
Meanwhile, President Ramaphosa requested Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Thandi Modise to deploy the army to several power stations.
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