Eskom has issued a nationwide warning on possible loadshedding this week after the loss of four generators in Mpumalanga power stations early yesterday morning.
Acting Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe said the power utility had lost two generators at Matimba power station and two at Duvha power station.
The result, he said, could see the return of the rolling blackouts as the country’s power supply was under pressure.
This comes as news that almost half of East London will be without electricity on Friday for nearly 14 hours.
The power outages will be as a result of work to be undertaken by Buffalo City Metro to connect the new Queenspark overhead power line to the Woodbrook and West Bank overhead powerlines.
The outage will include essential maintenance of the Port Rex to Woodbrook overhead power lines too.
Areas affected will include Duncan Village, Parkside, Parkridge, Pefferville, CC Lloyd Township, Eluxoweni, West Bank from the Buffalo River to Willow Park including the airport but excluding the IDZ.
Power to these areas will be disconnected from 4am to 6pm.
BCM spokesman Thandy Matebese said the metro had been waiting until factories in the affected areas stopped production for the year.
“This follows the explosion at the Chiselhurst power station so we need to connect these areas to the new Queenspark power station,” Matebese said.
Last month the Daily Dispatch reported that a monkey had leapt onto a power line at the Chiselhurst power station, causing an explosion.
Several East London suburbs were plunged into darkness for an hour.
Both statements follow rumours last week, about a complete city blackout on December 19. Both Eskom and BCM rubbished the rumours.
“We would never switch off the entire city at once. It would only be the affected areas and even then the public would be informed beforehand,” Matebese said.
Meanwhile, The Times reported yesterday that ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe’s wife Nolwandle was planning to turn the country’s electricity crisis into a lucrative business opportunity by selling coal to Eskom.
The parastatal is facing a long-term coal shortage and is seeking new suppliers controlled by black individuals.
Mantashe, a prominent businesswoman, is CEO of recently established Tamborah Resources which is angling to be a “long term supplier of all power station coal to the national power utility”, according to the company website.
Eskom has 14 coal-fired power stations – and four of them, Matla, Arnot, Tutuka and Kriel, are currently having problems with coal.
Mantashe confirmed at the weekend that Tamborah Resources was in the market to provide coal to “private power stations as well as Eskom” but said she had no need to rely on political favour to get a foot in the door.
Eskom’s Future Sourcing Plan and its impact on Emerging Miners, dated January 23, warns that the “SA coal market requires substantial investment and recapitalisation to meet requirements in the future”.
Blackouts for city on cards this weekend
Acting Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe said the power utility had lost two generators at Matimba power station and two at Duvha power station.
The result, he said, could see the return of the rolling blackouts as the country’s power supply was under pressure.
This comes as news that almost half of East London will be without electricity on Friday for nearly 14 hours.
The power outages will be as a result of work to be undertaken by Buffalo City Metro to connect the new Queenspark overhead power line to the Woodbrook and West Bank overhead powerlines.
The outage will include essential maintenance of the Port Rex to Woodbrook overhead power lines too.
Areas affected will include Duncan Village, Parkside, Parkridge, Pefferville, CC Lloyd Township, Eluxoweni, West Bank from the Buffalo River to Willow Park including the airport but excluding the IDZ.
Power to these areas will be disconnected from 4am to 6pm.
BCM spokesman Thandy Matebese said the metro had been waiting until factories in the affected areas stopped production for the year.
“This follows the explosion at the Chiselhurst power station so we need to connect these areas to the new Queenspark power station,” Matebese said.
Last month the Daily Dispatch reported that a monkey had leapt onto a power line at the Chiselhurst power station, causing an explosion.
Several East London suburbs were plunged into darkness for an hour.
Both statements follow rumours last week, about a complete city blackout on December 19. Both Eskom and BCM rubbished the rumours.
“We would never switch off the entire city at once. It would only be the affected areas and even then the public would be informed beforehand,” Matebese said.
Meanwhile, The Times reported yesterday that ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe’s wife Nolwandle was planning to turn the country’s electricity crisis into a lucrative business opportunity by selling coal to Eskom.
The parastatal is facing a long-term coal shortage and is seeking new suppliers controlled by black individuals.
Mantashe, a prominent businesswoman, is CEO of recently established Tamborah Resources which is angling to be a “long term supplier of all power station coal to the national power utility”, according to the company website.
Eskom has 14 coal-fired power stations – and four of them, Matla, Arnot, Tutuka and Kriel, are currently having problems with coal.
Mantashe confirmed at the weekend that Tamborah Resources was in the market to provide coal to “private power stations as well as Eskom” but said she had no need to rely on political favour to get a foot in the door.
Eskom’s Future Sourcing Plan and its impact on Emerging Miners, dated January 23, warns that the “SA coal market requires substantial investment and recapitalisation to meet requirements in the future”.
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