Johannesburg - Power utility Eskom said that it did not expect to have to implement blackouts on Monday after warning on Sunday about possible power outages after a collapsed coal silo cut generation capacity.
“Everything's under control. The (system) we put in place overnight at the power station seems to be holding,” Eskom spokesman Andrew Etzinger told Talk Radio 702 on Monday morning.
Eskom cut the lights on Sunday, saying power at its 4 110 MW Majuba station had been affected after a coal silo collapsed. It added that there were risks of load shedding on Monday over the peak evening period.
However, Etzinger said Eskom had managed to get mobile coal conveyers and trucks to bring coal to load up the station.
“Fortunately overnight we've managed to get two of the units at the power station going again so at this stage no load shedding is planned through the day,” Etzinger said.
Eskom, which produces virtually all of the country’s power, has been operating on razor-thin margins for more than five years as it works to complete two large new power stations. - Reuters