New loadshedding threat as five generation units trip at Eskom’s Kriel power station

Eskom today noted that loadshedding may return at short notice following electrical faults which saw five generation units trip at Kriel Power Station.

The faults have caused a loss of 2 000MW from the national grid.

“During the early morning hours two electrical faults occurred in quick succession. The faults, which appears to be related to heavy mist conditions, are being investigated.

“The first fault caused units 1, 2 and 3 of the station to trip, while the second fault tripped units 4 and 5.”

Unit 6 was not impacted as it was offline at the time.

Eskom said repair work is underway to return the units to service, but full generation capacity will take time to be restored.

Any further generation losses during the day, or failure to return units to service as planned, could lead to loadshedding being implemented.

Meanwhile, eThekwini Metro will from August 1 reintroduce loadshedding. The city was exempt from loadshedding owing to extensive damage to infrastructure during the April floods.

“As the country scrambles to avert a total blackout, it has become necessary for eThekwini to introduce loadshedding,” the city said in a statement.

“But loadshedding will only be implemented at stage 4 and higher, and some areas would still be excluded altogether because of highly compromised networks.”

The city and Eskom remain in ongoing talks to avoid any further risks to the city’s electrical grid after extensive flood damage.

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