Eskom confirmed sabotage incidents at Tutuka Power Station in Standerton.
According to a statement dated May 19, a cable was severed the past week, while the power station was finalising preparations to return Unit 5 to service.
The damage to the cable delayed the unit’s return to service by three days as it took some time to locate the fault.
“Once discovered, the cable was repaired in a short space of time,” the statement read.
The return to service of Unit 5 was then resumed.
A few hours later, a station control air pressure drop was discovered and the same unit turbine systems, which consume control air for operation, were de-energised.
Eskom later discovered that the control air pipe supplying the turbine systems had been cut with a power tool and the entire bend removed.
It was welded back on and the system charged with control air before being normalised.
The unit was expected to return to service on Thursday, May 19.
Eskom is of the opinion that these were deliberate acts of sabotage by someone who had access to the site, where only employees have access and knows the security features in the area quite well.
According to the statement, criminal charges have been laid at the police and their forensic team is assisting with the investigation.
This is the fifth incident of sabotage since March last year, and all of these have been reported to police.
Eskom has employed measures to improve security at all its power stations in general and Tutuka Power Station in particular, where additional security personnel and smart technology have been introduced.
“While these measures have significantly improved security at Tutuka, including a reduction in cable theft incidents, incidents such as this one serve as an opportunity to apply further improvements to securing the facility and the supply of electricity,” the statement concluded.
