Mpumalanga: State power utility Eskom has moved to assure the public that it has enough generation capacity to continue staving off load shedding. This reassurance follows a fire at Kriel Power Station’s Unit Six, which was triggered by an oil spill on the hot surfaces of the turbine.

According to South African Government News Agency, Eskom assured South Africans that the incident will not impact the current generation capacity or lead to load shedding. They highlighted the ongoing, incremental results of the Generation Recovery Plan, which have continually added more of a buffer to the system to manage incidents such as this. The system currently has sufficient reserves.

Eskom reported that the station’s fire and emergency team responded swiftly to extinguish and contain the fire. Importantly, no personnel were injured, and all other units at the Mpumalanga-based power station remain fully operational. An investigation is underway to assess the extent of the damage, as well as the time required for repairs
and restoration. Eskom is expected to announce the results of the investigation once it is finalized.

Kriel Power Station Unit 6 contributes 475MW to the power grid. With this unit temporarily offline, total unplanned outages stand at 8,483MW, which is still 4,517MW below the base case for summer 2024. The current available generation capacity is 30,809MW, while Monday’s peak demand is forecasted at 26,364MW. There are currently adequate reserves for the evening peak, with an additional 720MW anticipated to return to service later on Monday.

Eskom remains committed to maintaining a reliable power supply and will continue to provide the public with significant updates.