One of the two units at the Koeberg nuclear power station is down again because of an accident and won't be back in operation until Monday, at the earliest.
Eskom has appealed to consumers to conserve energy or face rolling blackouts.
There is no threat of nuclear spillage, says Eskom.
Transmission Division MD and chief executive designate Jacob Maroga said the company initiated a controlled shutdown of Unit 2 at 4pm on Thursday.
"This follows an incident in which a contractor crane came into contact with one of the lines that connect the unit to the transmission system.
"Neither the generator and turbine, nor the nuclear reactor of Unit 2 were affected by the incident. Unit 1, on the other hand, is fully operational, generating at full capacity.
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"Presently, the Cape load is supplied from Koeberg Unit 1 and the transmission transfers from power stations in the north of the country.
"Eskom will (also) increase the use of the peaking stations in the Cape. The risk of power supply interruptions to the Cape will increase should any of the available generation and transmission plants experience faults.
"We are able to meet the demand for the Cape, but the system will remain tight... We are calling on consumers to conserve electricity."
Asked when Unit 2 would return to service, Eskom spokesperson Fani Zulu said he could not give any indication.
"It depends on the extent of the damage, which investigators are accessing. But it would not be this weekend because it takes at least 48 hours to restart the unit,"said Zulu.
The last Koeberg shutdown in January caused huge power failures. - Staff Writers
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This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Times on March 30, 2007
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