Ramokgopa speeds up return of Medupi power station

Eskom

Cape Town — Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has accelerated the process of returning the Medupi power station to service in efforts to combat large bouts of higher load shedding stages.

Ramokgopa said on Friday that Eskom was implementing interventions that would speed up the repairs to Unit 4 at the Medupi power station – the country’s largest power plant, IOL reported.

The report said that Medupi will be the fourth largest coal power station in the world when operational, with each of its six units producing 720MW and mitigating four stages of load shedding.

“We are working very closely to return Unit 4 in Medupi that was taken off-line in August 2021,” Ramokgopa was quoted as saying.

Ramokgopa announced last week that Eskom had plans on spending R30 billion on diesel in an effort to lessen load shedding this winter.

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According to EWN, the minister said that Eskom needed at least 66 000 megawatts to bridge the gap between demand and supply.
“I’ll be brutally honest. It’s going to be an exceptionally difficult winter. We know that in summer conditions, the deficit is 6 000 megawatts. When we go into winter, the peak can go up to 37 000 megawatts. But at the current rate of trips and failures, it’s going to be an exceptionally difficult winter,” the report quoted Ramokgopa as saying.
Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the deployment of 880 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to safeguard a number of Eskom power stations around the country.
The President has informed Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), Amos Masondo, in writing of the employment of SANDF personnel for service in cooperation with the South African Police Service (SAPS) for the prevention and combating of crime and maintenance and preservation of law and order in the Republic of South Africa under Operation Prosper,” the Presidency said.

Picture: Twitter/@SAgovnews

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Compiled by Junaid Benjamin

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