Cape Town - State-owned power utility Eskom on Wednesday urged road users to be vigilant of coal trucks, especially on the major roads to and from the coal-fired power stations and coal mines, mostly situated in Mpumalanga.
Eskom said it has taken advantage of the low electricity demand during the festive season to intensify plant maintenance and fast-track recovery, in line with the organisation’s recovery plan aimed at improving generation performance and returning the energy availability factor (EAF) to 75 percent by November 2019.
These concerted efforts will result in a higher-than-usual number of coal trucks, especially on the major roads.
“While the restoration of the power system is an overarching objective, the safety of all South Africans on our roads remains a priority. We, therefore, urge our people to be vigilant and obey the rules of the road at all times,” said Eskom group chief executive Phakamani Hadebe.
Eskom will stop coal haulage during high-peak days where the volume of travellers increases on the roads from December 24 to December 27 and again from December 31 to January 1 next year.