Eskom outlines Koeberg plan
Clive Ndou
6 March 2006
Eskom has presented plans on how it intends to bring the Koeberg Power Station back into full swing.
The power utility’s chief executive Thulane Gcabashe said part of the measures included repairing Koeberg Unit 1 and returning it to service before commencing with the 59 days refueling and maintenance outage of Unit 2.
One of the two generators at Koeberg has been down since December, causing major power disruptions in the province.
The other generator shut down automatically last month, due to a trip in the high voltage power line.
"Eskom has successfully procured all of the required spare parts to return to service Koeberg Unit 1 in the shortest possible time," he told the media in Cape Town on Friday.
He said the parts, acquired from Electricity de France (EDF), included a rotor and stator bars to replace the damaged ones.
"Our key focus is to ensure that at least one unit of Koeberg is running at all times. We plan to
synchronise Koeberg Unit 1 to the grid in the middle of May and commence the refueling and maintenance outage of Unit 2 in the third week of May," he said.
Over the next three months, Gcabashe said Eskom would run Koeberg Unit 2 at a reduced output of 600 MW until the refueling and maintenance outage of the unit towards the end of May.
"During this time, the balance of the electricity needs of the [Western] Cape will be supplied via the high voltage transmission lines as well as an increased use of the peaking generation in the Cape,” he said.
Gcabashe said it had been estimated that during peak hours, there would be a shortfall of some 300 MW but the shortfall could be compensated by, among others, ensuring that residents cut down on electricity consumption.
When Koeberg is operational, the Western Cape has almost 1000 MW of excess capacity available.
Speaking during the same briefing, Public Enterprise Minister Alec Erwin said both Eskom and government
would ensure that in the event of any scheduled power shedding; residents were informed well in advance.
He said they would now be holding monthly media briefings to inform the public about latest developments regarding the electricity problems in the province.
Source: BuaNews
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