The South African power utility -Eskom-is not out- of -woods. It is still on a power cut spree affecting both industry and household sectors alike. On Saturday, it cut up to 2,000 megawatts (MW) from the national grid. The reason: a conveyor belt failed at its Medupi coal-fired power station. The cash-strapped utility is rushing to bring back on stream some generating units from repairs and maintenance and to replenish diesel and water levels at backup generators. Why it is done on a war footing? Many people are returning to work after a relatively long holiday on account of Christmas and the New Year. That will naturally increase the power demand both by the industry and households.
Plant breakdowns are common in Eskom. More breakdowns are experienced at coal-fired power plants. This is mostly due to lack of critical mid-life maintenance at older stations. Design flaws are the other reason for the periodic breakdowns.
