Collapse of Eskom power stations in photos

·9 Mar 2024

Eskom’s performance has collapsed thanks to its overly complex management system, inadequate maintenance, and low staff morale. This collapse can be seen in photos of the utility’s poorly run coal-fired power stations.

The photos and feedback are from the German consultancy group VGBE Energy, which the National Treasury commissioned to analyse the performance of Eskom’s coal-fired power plants and recommend ways to improve them.

The German engineers, who have extensive experience running coal-fired power plants, spent four and a half months studying South Africa’s ailing power utility.

They went through Eskom’s coal fleet, plant by plant, to determine what changes the utility should make to improve the performance of the individual stations.

They pointed to several overarching issues, such as Eskom’s complex management system, inadequate maintenance, and low staff morale, as reasons why the utility’s performance has declined.

Another factor is the general incompetence and lack of ability to implement theoretical knowledge in practice.

However, the report said that most of the issues “relating to the low Energy Availability Factor (EAF) can be attributed to a single root cause.”

“The management system with its governance, structure and processes is dysfunctional and too complex.”

Eskom has too many organisational layers and unclear decision-making processes. This generates a tremendous amount of red tape and a lack of accountability, they said.

“Eskom’s generation fleet has been trapped within this complex management system for so long that it is no longer able to maintain or improve the technical performance of the coal-fired plants.”

The report included many photos that illustrated the lack of maintenance and general housekeeping of Eskom’s coal-fired power plants, showing just how far the utility’s once-high standards have fallen.