South Africa’s power system is expected to be extremely constrained this weekend.
This is according to a statement from Eskom yesterday, 13 November 2014, that said the constraint is due to the cold, wet weather conditions and the loss of additional units as a result of technical faults.
Many parts of the country have been experiencing wet and cold weather conditions which tend to increase demand in electricity as consumers use more lighting and space heating. At the Majuba power station, generating capacity has reduced to about 1 200MW as the station is faced with wet coal challenges given that some of the coal handling is taking place out in the open.
Eskom has implemented a wet coal management strategy to ensure that the wet coal risk is reduced at other power stations. “It is however not possible to neutralise this risk completely, especially over periods of prolonged high rainfall.”
Recently the country was plunged into darkness after one of the silos at the Majuba power station cracked and later collapsed. This left South Africans without electricity. Subsequently Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown visited the plant.
On Thursday the power utility said the dam levels at its peaking power stations which use water to generate electricity are depleting. The probability of load shedding today is low.
However, Eskom appeals to consumers to reduce their electricity usage throughout the day, especially from 6-10 pm.
“Please switch off geysers, air conditioners, pool pumps and all non-essential appliances to prevent the need for rotational load shedding,” Es the Eskom statement added.
Source: SAnews.gov.za
(edited)
Follow St Francis Chronicle on Twitter: @stfranchronicle
St Francis Chronicle 