The Eskom manager who brought Majuba back to operation after the silo collapse is replacing Roman Crookes as Medupi’s project director with immediate effect.<\/p>\n
Eskom on Monday appointed Phillip Dukashe to replace Crookes to run Medupi power station without a handover from Crookes.<\/p>\n
Crookes, who was set to leave at the end of January, will leave with immediate effect, Eskom CEO Brian Molefe told a radio station on Monday.<\/p>\n
Molefe said the handover process was overrated.<\/p>\n
In response to Molefe’s interview, energy expert Chris Yelland tweeted that there is “more to this than Eskom lets on”.<\/p>\n
Dukashe, who has worked at Eskom for 22 years, will now head up Eskom\u2019s critical new build project to introduce 4,800 MW of coal power into the country\u2019s ailing grid.<\/p>\n
After years of delays, Medupi\u2019s first unit brought 800 MW onto the grid in 2015, while the next unit is set to be completed in early 2017. The overall project is set to be completed between 2019 and 2020.<\/p>\n
Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe told Fin24 that Dukashe has been instrumental in bringing Majuba Power Station back to operation, after a silo collapse in 2014 dented its operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was successful in implementing a short-term solution to feed coal to the power station on a mobile feeder system, while starting the process to rebuild the silo,\u201d said Phasiwe.<\/p>\n
Majuba’s silo collapse in November 2014 plunged the country into load shedding after its capacity was eroded from 3 600 MW to 1 400 MW. To increase the capacity to its original levels, Eskom used over 1 000 trucks to transport coal, but the new system has decreased this to 90 trucks. The new silo is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.<\/p>\n
Dukashe’s LinkedIn profile lists him as general manager of Gx Coal Projects at Eskom. Before that, he managed a major coal power plant and was also the chief nuclear officer at Koeberg nuclear power plant, according to Phasiwe.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want someone to hit the ground running at Medupi,\u201d said Phasiwe. \u201cEskom plans to either meet or beat the deadlines set for Medupi. This will happen while adhering to all the normal standards and it won\u2019t be done in a hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the labour unrest that occurred in 2015 had ended, with the union members deciding to stop their illegal action, which resulted in them receiving no salaries for a few months.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe labour situation has stabilised and there are no issues at all now,\u201d said Phasiwe.<\/p>\n
Yelland told Fin24 on Sunday that he was concerned over the resignation of Crookes.<\/p>\n
Yelland told Fin24 Crookes\u2019 departure \u201cobviously raises concerns about the institutional memory within Eskom as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) main contractor\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne hopes that there will be a sufficiently experienced team at Eskom and at the Medupi site to ensure continuity and a smooth succession that will not result in any further delays,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Phasiwe said Crookes\u2019 departure is not a major concern, as there are other managers working very closely on the project and thus know what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has also been a lot of cross pollination of experience and expertise between the teams at Medupi and Kusile,\u201d which will make a \u201chandover process seamless\u201d, Phasiwe said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoman has delivered the first 800 MW Unit into commercial service in August last year and leaves behind a strong and experienced management team who will continue to drive Medupi forward to completion,\u201d said Phasiwe.<\/p>\n
Crookes, who has been project director for the Medupi construction project from the beginning, will vacate his post with immediate effect to pursue an opportunity abroad, Molefe told a radio station on Monday.<\/p>\n
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