Watch the video of the Majuba Silo cracking

12:50 – 04 November

Eskom implemented load shedding from Sunday, 2 November after the power system was severely constrained due to the collapse of the central coal storage silo on Saturday afternoon.

The silo, which houses over 10 000 tons of coal, collapsed, impacting coal supplies to all six units at the power station resulting in the power station operating at reduced capacity of 1 300MW.

No injuries were reported.

Teams are on site and are in the process of dispatching mobile coal feeders to site.

In the unlikely event that this contingency is unsuccessful, it may impact the full supply from the power station which supplies 10 per cent of the national electricity.

Eskom engineers are investigating the cause of the incident and more details will be released in due course

Customers are urged to switch off pool pumps, turn air-conditioning to 23 deg C and to switch off geysers and unnecessary lights to limit the impact of the load shedding.

Eskom customers can contact their customer call centre at 0860 037 566.

Customers are cautioned to treat all electrical connections as live during this period.

Eskom will provide regular updates on the status of the power system through all media platforms.

UPDATE: Eskom press release

Eskom released its 293rd update on the state of the power system.

Eskom’s system status bulletin is released twice a week in line with its commitment to regular and transparent communication on the power system, which is expected to be constrained for the foreseeable future.

Eskom is not load shedding today and does not anticipate that there will be any load shedding tomorrow as additional units have been returned from maintenance.

If customers experience power outages during this period, we advise that they contact their electricity providers as it could be a localised problem.

The risk of load shedding has reduced significantly and the prognosis for the week is better than expected.

The system will be under extreme pressure on Wednesday and Thursday as the water reserves that we built up over the weekend for our peaking plants will be depleted.

Eskom is pleased to announce that work at Majuba Power Station has progressed better than anticipated.

Teams have worked non-stop since the incident on Saturday and have been able to connect coal feeder units which have enabled us to increase the supply from 600MW to 1 200 MW.

Eskom would like to thank customers who have heeded the call to use electricity sparingly. Once again, we appeal to consumers to reduce their electricity usage throughout the day, but especially from 6pm to 10pm.

Eskom calls on all South Africans to pull together over the next few months and use electricity sparingly by “Living Lightly” this summer.

Less is more this summer and homeowners and businesses can do so with just four steps: first, switching off geysers and pool pumps; second, switching off non-essential lights; third, efficient use of air-conditioners by keeping the room temperature at 23 deg C; and finally, responding to the alerts on television each evening.

To view Lekwa load shedding schedule click here

To view the gallery click here