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Power station managers in crosshairs as sharp deterioration in plant performance triggers new round of load-shedding

7th February 2022

By: Terence Creamer

Creamer Media Editor

     

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Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter reports that action will be taken against management at some power stations after an unexpectedly sharp deterioration in the performance of certain coal-fired generators on Monday, which precipitated the re-introduction of load-shedding only 24 hours after rotational cuts were initially suspended.

Load-shedding was re-instated at 21:00 on Monday February 7 after full and partial unplanned breakdowns surged to nearly 16 000 MW at a time when more than 3 300 MW was down for planned outages.

De Ruyter refused to be drawn immediately on the details of the “consequence management” envisaged, or even which stations were to be affected, saying only that an announcement would be made once the individuals concerned had been notified.

He was “not satisfied”, however, with the performance of certain power station executives and reported that he had issued an instruction for “sanctions to be implemented” against the individuals concerned.

Particular frustration was expressed over the precipitous decline in performance during the course of Monday, despite some power station managers having provided an upbeat assessment of the recovery at a system briefing at 5:00 on Monday morning.

De Ruyter argued that “performance is managed by leadership” and that a lack of “visible, felt leadership” was largely to blame for the regression experienced across several power stations on Monday.

“That’s why we have power station general managers,” he said without disguising his irritation, adding that accountability had to be taken at the right place in the organisation.

“We are not going to tolerate poor performance and we will take action.”

Following a strong recovery on Friday, which enabled Eskom to reduce the intensity of load-shedding over the weekend, there was a steep deterioration with units lost at Camden, Kusile, Duvha and Matla power stations.

At a briefing held at 17:00 on Monday afternoon, it was confirmed that Duvha was not generating any electricity whatsoever.

COO Jan Oberholzer indicated that the situation would have been even more precarious had it not been for a high-level intervention at Majuba on Sunday, when it was discovered that no coal was being moved to the bunkers.

The position was exacerbated by the failure of Transnet to honour its two-train coal delivery schedule to Majuba on February 6.

Generation group executive Phillip Dukashe described the performance of certain power station managers and employees as “disappointing” and reiterated that Eskom was experiencing a skills deficit in certain areas.

Dukashe said that strenuous efforts were being made to intensify training and development and reported that recruitments were also being made from within and outside of Eskom to augment its skills at certain power stations.

Oberholzer acknowledged that some of the recent problems could be attributed to a lack of experience and the fact that “battle scarred” individuals, who would have previously been on hand to offer coaching and mentorship, had departed the organisation.

De Ruyter acknowledged offers made by retired Eskom employees to assist but said that it was more complicated than it appeared to take up such offers, as it blurred lines of accountability.

“The notion of bringing in retirees – and we want to thank them for their patriotism for offering to serve without compensation – creates a whole range of different problems in terms of reliability, in terms of accountability and in terms of being subject themselves to discipline as it may be required.”

WHAT ABOUT SONA?

De Ruyter also did not guarantee that load-shedding would be fully suspended in time for Thursday’s State of the Nation Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa, which would take place at the Cape Town City Hall as a result of recent fire damage to Parliament.

However, he gave an assurance that Eskom, together with the City of Cape Town, would ensure that the event would not be affected by power cuts.

“We will ensure, with the City of Cape Town, that there will not be load-shedding at the venue during the President’s speech and also prior to and after the event to ensure that there is no disruption to this crucial part of our democratic processes.

“Where we are with the generation system right now, it is difficult for us to give an absolute guarantee that there will not be any load-shedding during Thursday evening  . . . [but] we will do our best to restore the system, not because of SONA per se, but because we want to be a reliable supplier of electricity to the entire country.”

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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