Is loadshedding coming back? Eskom responds

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The power utility released a statement letting the public know more regarding their investigation of the fire, and whether it will lead to loadshedding again.

Eskom’s Executive Committee and Board visited the power station today, 13 December 2024. Their visit was together with Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Minister of Electricity and Energy. They also visited the employees that were injured during the explosion.

WHAT THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE EXPLOSION REVEALED

According to Eskom, the preliminary investigations revealed that the explosion at Unit 6 was caused by a ruptured high-pressure steam steel pipe. This resulted in power loss in Unit 6 areas. Eskom also said there is no evidence of sabotage. The technical team was still assessing the damage and the time it will take to do repairs and restoration.

UPDATE ON INJURED WORKERS

Eskom also gave an update on the condition of the workers. They revealed that six of them were not seriously injured and two have been discharged from hospital. They said, “one is in critical condition, and two are in semi-critical condition, but all remain stable.”

It further stated: “Additionally, eight members of the work team were uninjured and sent home. They, along with the next of kin of the injured and the Matla Power Station staff, received counselling and support at the start of shifts.”

Eskom Group Executive for Generation, Bheki Nxumalo, said: “Our emergency plans were activated accordingly and today the next steps in this plan involve ensuring the injured and their families continue to receive the support and care they need, as well as all our employees at Matla.

“We now begin a disciplined investigation and the painstaking work required to develop a thorough, disciplined understanding of the incident that will lead us to be able to plan when the unit can be returned to service.”

IS ESKOM LOADSHEDDING STILL SUSPENDED?

Eskom confirmed that loadshedding will continue to be suspended. As a precaution, Unit 5 was taken offline after the explosion for the employees’ safety. This unit is said to have been planned to undergo maintenance on 16 December 2024, which has now been moved to 14 December. Eskom Group Chief Executive, Dan Marokane, expressed:

“Matla is one of the six power stations we prioritised in the Generation Recovery Plan to end loadshedding and over the past 18 months the employees have delivered an exceptional performance, achieving an Energy Availability Factor (EAF) of 67.12%.

“Based on the structural improvements in the generation performance of the coal fired fleet, week by week Eskom is increasingly able to absorb shocks to the system, even though the generation capacity remains tight.

“The base case scenario for the summer outlook indicates that there will be no loadshedding if unplanned outages stay at 13 000MW or below and our year-to-date average unplanned outages are at 11 875MW.”