If skilled employees performed their duties properly, the problem could have been prevented, the sources said.<\/p>\n
The latest disaster at Kusile is not an isolated event. Explosions, fires, and collapsing infrastructure at Eskom\u2019s power plants are the norm rather than the exception.<\/p>\n
In August 2021, a devastating explosion destroyed unit 4 at Medupi after a blunder by the power plant\u2019s staff created a volatile mixture of hydrogen and oxygen.<\/p>\n
It will cost R2.5 billion to fix the unit, and it is only expected to be back online in August 2024.<\/p>\n
In September 2022, a fire at a gas air heater at one of the generating units at Kusile that has not been synchronised to the grid caused significant damage.<\/p>\n
The damage caused by the fire delayed bringing the new 800MW generation unit at Kusile online for a year.<\/p>\n
The three units at Medupi and Kusile, which are offline, equate to level 3 load-shedding without any quick fixes.<\/p>\n
These events are the tip of the iceberg. Numerous other infrastructure problems occurred at Eskom power stations in recent years:<\/p>\n
- \n
- September 2020<\/strong> \u2013 A conveyor belt that feeds coal into the Medupi generation units snapped, which dumped the country into load-shedding.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- September 2021<\/strong> \u2013 A fire broke out at the Kendal power station, damaging one unit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- October 2021<\/strong> \u2013 Eskom said Tutuka is in a shocking state, with heaps of ash covering walkways, plants, and instruments needed to operate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- November 2021<\/strong> \u2013 A distribution-line tower providing power to the coal conveyor system at the Lethabo power station collapsed because of sabotage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- March 2022<\/strong> \u2013 Eskom lost 920 MW of power when a Koeberg nuclear power station worker cut the wrong valve.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- May 2022<\/strong> \u2013 A cable at the Tutuka power station was severed while it was finalising preparations to return unit 5 to service.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- May 2022<\/strong> \u2013 The control air pipe supplying the turbine systems at Tutuka had been cut with a power tool, and the entire bend was removed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- June 2022<\/strong> \u2013 A fire broke out at unit 2 of the Duvha power station, which has been offline for a general overhaul.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- August 2022<\/strong> \u2013 There are numerous delays in returning Koeberg unit 2 to service because of problems during its refuelling and maintenance work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- September 2022<\/strong> \u2013 A conveyor belt that moves coal from the Kriel mine to the adjacent\u00a0Eskom power station\u00a0caught\u00a0fire.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- September 2022<\/strong> \u2013 The Camden Power Station was taken offline after a senior technician \u2018opened the wrong valve\u2019 and contaminated the plant\u2019s demineralised water supply.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- October 2022<\/strong> \u2013 The wrong oil was added to a unit at the Duvha power station, which caused a fire and delayed returning the unit to service.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
These are only a few of the numerous problems Eskom is experiencing at its power stations.<\/p>\n
Eskom has been blaming its ageing power fleet for problems and breakdowns. However, none of these problems is related to age.<\/p>\n
Most of these problems occurred at Eskom\u2019s newest power stations and were caused by human error, poor planning, and a lack of skills.<\/p>\n
The result is that Eskom\u2019s energy availability factor (EAF) \u2013 the percentage of its fleet producing electricity relative to its maximum generating capacity \u2013 has plummeted.<\/p>\n
The declining EAF is the reason South Africans have been experiencing the worst bouts of load-shedding the country has ever seen.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/EAF.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n- \n
- This article has been republished with permission from Daily Investor. Read the original here.<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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- This article has been republished with permission from Daily Investor. Read the original here.<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- October 2022<\/strong> \u2013 The wrong oil was added to a unit at the Duvha power station, which caused a fire and delayed returning the unit to service.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- September 2022<\/strong> \u2013 The Camden Power Station was taken offline after a senior technician \u2018opened the wrong valve\u2019 and contaminated the plant\u2019s demineralised water supply.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- September 2022<\/strong> \u2013 A conveyor belt that moves coal from the Kriel mine to the adjacent\u00a0Eskom power station\u00a0caught\u00a0fire.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- August 2022<\/strong> \u2013 There are numerous delays in returning Koeberg unit 2 to service because of problems during its refuelling and maintenance work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- June 2022<\/strong> \u2013 A fire broke out at unit 2 of the Duvha power station, which has been offline for a general overhaul.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- May 2022<\/strong> \u2013 The control air pipe supplying the turbine systems at Tutuka had been cut with a power tool, and the entire bend was removed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- May 2022<\/strong> \u2013 A cable at the Tutuka power station was severed while it was finalising preparations to return unit 5 to service.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- March 2022<\/strong> \u2013 Eskom lost 920 MW of power when a Koeberg nuclear power station worker cut the wrong valve.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- November 2021<\/strong> \u2013 A distribution-line tower providing power to the coal conveyor system at the Lethabo power station collapsed because of sabotage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- October 2021<\/strong> \u2013 Eskom said Tutuka is in a shocking state, with heaps of ash covering walkways, plants, and instruments needed to operate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- September 2021<\/strong> \u2013 A fire broke out at the Kendal power station, damaging one unit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n