Boiler tube leaks to blame

After denying it had plans to bring back load shedding, after announcing a “summer plan” to increase maintenance, and a declaration by President Cyril Ramaphosa Eskom was “too big and important for government to let it fail”, Eskom switched the lights off again.

Chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer told 702 that six units had been lost to boiler tube leaks as well as losing the conveyor belt which supplied Medupi power station with coal on October 12, cutting the plant’s power generating ability to a third.

Oberholzer also noted diesel and dam levels had run low and a decision was taken late on Tuesday night to institute load shedding.

Research by PrimaResearch’s Shamil Ismail on the state of Eskom showed the average age of Eskom’s coal-fired generation fleet was 31.5 years.

“However, this situation is not uncommon, and in the US about 74% of all its coal-fired power plants are at least 30 years old [compared to Eskom’s 46%],” Ismail found. “Energy availability improved in 2017 and reached 78% in 2018, but disappointingly fell to 71.5% in 2019.”

Energy expert Ted Blom said if proper maintenance had been done, Eskom wouldn’t be in the position it found itself in.

Bemusement quickly turned to anger when streets clogged due to early morning traffic and businesses were forced to stand idly until their four hours were over.

Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba said in a statement yesterday he had learnt with disbelief of the rolling blackouts.

“No prior warning was issued and no engagement with the city took place to advise us of the possibility of this step being taken,” Mashaba said.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) warned Eskom against “using rolling blackouts as a bargaining tool for more money” and claimed the country was losing R1 billion a day.

The blackouts came shortly after Eskom announced it was going to court to reclaim its R69 billion Treasury bailout from the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa).

“When we do not have electricity, we do not have productivity. And when we do not have productivity, we have stagnation which leads to unemployment,” said DA MP Natasha Mazzone.

Blom said the idea Eskom was switching the lights off “as a bargaining tool” had little traction.

“Any issues between Eskom and Nersa are bound to coincide any way,” Blom said.