Power system is under severe pressure, warns Eskom

Eskom has warned that the power system is under severe pressure, urging South Africans to switch off all unnecessary lights, geysers, pool pumps and non-essential appliances.

The power utility has announced it will implement load reduction in four provinces to avoid overloading its network and damage to infrastructure in high-density areas that are prone to network overloading.

It will implement load reduction from 5pm to 9pm.

“Customers should not log a fault during the load reduction periods and should treat all installations as live and dangerous,” it said.

Meanwhile, the power utility says it has has assessed the risks and  possible impact of tropical storm Eloise on its infrastructure and the provision of electricity.

“Eskom has put contingency plans in place and our teams are on standby to do everything possible to mitigate these risks. Several plans are in place in anticipation of the storm, and Eskom is also covering a wider area than what is predicted by the weather specialists to ensure we are not caught off guard.

“The heavy rainfall and storms will hit most parts of Mpumalanga, where most of our power stations are situated and may reach Lephalale, where two of our other large power stations are situated. These power stations have been alerted and have begun making preparations to implement the ‘wet coal’ contingency plans.”

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While heavy rainfall for four or less days does not pose a significant threat to power station operations, continuous heavy rainfall for more than four days does hamper coal handling at the power stations and the mines supplying them, said Eskom.

“Eskom is also working closely with the National Disaster Management Centre, the Provincial Disaster Management Centres in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, as well as the local government authorities to ensure minimal disruption of supply to customers. We are ready to support their efforts to support our response as a country.”

(Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde)

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