Latest news with #DaphneMokwena
The Citizen
an hour ago
- Business
- The Citizen
No fines or penalties over Koeberg delays, Eskom says
The two disputes stem from the Steam Generator Replacement Project of Unit 2 at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station. Eskom has sought to clarify that two contractual disputes with Framatome, the contractor for the Steam Generator Replacement Project at the Koeberg nuclear power station, are being addressed through agreed resolution processes. The two disputes stem from the Steam Generator Replacement Project of Unit 2 at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, which has now seen significant progress, following problems that contributed to a bout of stage 3 load shedding in March. Steam generators Framatome had taken over the contract to supply and install replacement generators at the power plant's two reactor buildings from Areva NP in 2018. The recent Long-Term Operation (LTO) programme for Unit 2 included the replacement of three steam generators, extensive inspections, and refuelling activities, ensuring continued safe and efficient performance. ALSO READ: Koeberg Unit 2 back online, but what caused the 'unplanned' trip? Eskom needed to replace the plant's six steam generators – three in each of its two units – to prolong its life by another 20 years. Media reports Eskom issued a statement on 21 July, following media reports, that the utility had been ordered by the high court to pay more than R1 Billion to Framatome over delays to the Steam Generator Replacement Project at Koeberg. According to reports, the Western Cape High Court agreed with the findings of an adjudicator who investigated the delays two and a half years ago, ruling that Eskom was at fault for the stoppage of work and had to pay for breaching its contract. Disputes The utility's spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, said the two disputes were adjudicated between December 2022 and February 2023. Mokwena said in accordance with the contract, disputes are first referred to adjudication and, if not resolved, to arbitration. 'As Eskom was not satisfied with the adjudicator's decisions, the two matters were escalated to arbitration as per the agreed process. The arbitration was held from June to July 2025, and a decision is expected in the last quarter of Eskom's financial year. ALSO READ: Load shedding: Hiccup in Eskom's power plans 'Recent media reports appear to have mixed separate legal processes. To clarify, no new payments are currently due, and all actions taken by Eskom have been in line with the applicable legal and contractual procedures,' Mokwena said. Disagreement Mokwena added that although Eskom disagreed with the adjudicator's decisions, the utility complied with the requirement to implement the outcome and made payments in the interim. 'All payments had been made by March 2024 as part of standard contract processes—not as penalties or fines. At the same time, in March 2023, Eskom approached the Cape High Court to have the adjudicator's decisions set aside due to procedural irregularities.' Mokwena said the court only delivered its judgment on 17 July 2025, over a year late. 'Eskom is currently reviewing the judgment to determine the appropriate next steps. We encourage the public and media to trust the integrity of this process. Eskom is following the proper legal channels to resolve these matters responsibly, and we remain committed to transparency and accountability throughout. 'Most importantly, despite these disputes, the core technical work, replacing the steam generators on Koeberg Unit 2, has been completed. This is a major milestone that contributes to the safe and extended operation of the power station, helping to ensure energy security for the country,' Mkowena said. Eskom stated that it anticipates a decision on the arbitration hearing in the last quarter of its financial year. Koeberg Koeberg's units 1 and 2 have undergone life extension exercises. In July last year, the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) granted Eskom a licence to continue operating Koeberg Nuclear Power Station Unit 1 until 21 July 2044. As a result, Koeberg Unit 1 is expected to contribute over 930MW to the grid for another 20 years,' Mokwena said. ALSO READ: Eskom takes action after breach of online vending system
The Citizen
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Nail in load shedding coffin removed after Eskom delay
Eskom clears the air on whether the setback will affect its winter outlook Eskom has shared bad news, announcing that the planned maintenance on Koeberg Unit 1 will be delayed by about a month, with the unit now expected to only return to operation by August. The utility shared an update on the planned maintenance of Unit 1 at the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station in Cape Town on Tuesday. Offline The 930 MW Unit 1 is currently offline for the second phase of a long-term operation extension. It was initially planned to be back online in July after undergoing scheduled maintenance, including fuel refuelling and statutory tests, as part of the life extension process. Load shedding Eskom said the revised return date for Koeberg Unit 1 will not increase the risk of load shedding. 'The Winter Outlook released on 5 May 2025, which covers the period until 31 August 2025, remains valid. Importantly, the planned return of 2 500MW this winter does not rely on Unit 1'. Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said the revised timeline underscores the utility's commitment to ensure the ongoing safe and reliable performance of South Africa's only nuclear power station. ALSO READ: Eskom gets boost as Kusile's final unit adds 800MW to grid Inspections Mokwena said that eddy current inspections — a non-destructive testing method used to detect cracks, corrosion, or wear in the metal tubes of steam generators — identified defects on four tubes among several thousand tubes inspected, across two of the newly installed generators. 'Eskom immediately carried out an advanced automated process to address the four tube defects, supported by specialised international teams working alongside local experts. These critical repairs have now been successfully completed to uphold the highest safety and quality standards. Back to grid Bheki Nxumalo, Eskom's Group Executive for Generation, said the planned maintenance underway on Unit 1 will help deliver decades of affordable, low-carbon baseload power. 'Once all maintenance work is complete, Unit 1's reactor core will be refuelled, tested and synchronised back to the national grid'. Eskom said to protect the supply, planned outages at Koeberg are carefully staggered every 16 to 18 months so that both units are never offline at the same time. 'Together, Koeberg Units 1 and 2 provide around 1 860MW — approximately 5% of the country's electricity needs. Unit 2 remains fully operational, generating up to 946MW, with a year-to-date Energy Availability Factor (EAF) of 99.38% as of the end of June 2025. 'The national power system remains stable, with a month-to-date EAF of 62%. As the winter season continues, Eskom encourages all customers to adopt energy-efficient practices,' Eskom said. Medupi Last week, Eskom hammered another nail in the load shedding coffin, announcing that Unit 4 of the Medupi Power Station was successfully returned to service eight months ahead of its original schedule. This has added 800MW to the national grid. Medupi's return follows extensive repairs, made possible by the innovative use of a refurbished Generator Stator, an alternative to waiting for a brand-new component. The unit had been out of service since 8 August 2021, after sustaining significant damage from the explosion of its Generator Stator, a key component in the operation of the generation unit. ALSO READ: Eskom takes action after breach of online vending system
The Citizen
13-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Eskom spends over R5bn on diesel to keep the lights on
Eskom said while load shedding remains suspended, electricity demand is rising. Eskom says it has spent R5.26 billion on fuel for its fleet of open-cycle gas turbines (OCGT), generating 892.42GWh to keep the lights on so far this financial year. This is higher than the 485.39GWh generated during the same period last year. The utility stated that the power system remains stable and continues to demonstrate resilience in meeting winter demand. System constraints Eskom added that while occasional system constraints do arise, they are effectively managed, with sufficient emergency reserves being deployed during morning and evening peak periods. Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said the year-to-date load factor for OGCT has marginally increased to 10.78%, reflecting a 0.08% increase compared to the previous week. 'This figure remains higher than the 5.87% recorded during the same period last year. Although diesel usage is within budget, it is expected to decline as more units return to service, increasing available generation capacity.' ALSO READ: Eskom gets boost as Kusile's final unit adds 800MW to grid Load shedding Mokwena stated that Eskom's winter outlook, covering the period from 5 May to 31 August, has not changed. 'It indicates that load shedding will not be necessary if unplanned outages stay below 13 000MW. If outages rise to 15 000MW, load shedding would be limited to a maximum of 21 days out of 153 days and restricted to stage 2.' According to Eskom, for the week of 4 to 10 July 2025, unplanned outages averaged 13 628MW – a decrease from the previous week, but 1 525MW higher than the same period last year and 628MW above the base case estimate of 13 000MW. Electricity demand Mokwena said that while load shedding remains suspended, electricity demand is rising during the winter period. 'Eskom urges the public to avoid illegal connections and energy theft. These activities often lead to transformer overloads, equipment failures, and in some cases, explosions and extended outages, prompting the need for load reduction to protect the network.' Last week, Eskom hammered another nail in the load shedding coffin, announcing that Unit 4 of the Medupi Power Station was successfully returned to service eight months ahead of its original schedule. This has added 800MW to the national grid. ALSO READ: Eskom takes action after breach of online vending system
The Citizen
07-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Eskom hammers another nail in load shedding coffin
Unit 4 at Medupi Power Station, which had been offline since August 8, 2021, was returned to service ahead of schedule. Eskom has hammered another nail in the load shedding coffin, announcing that Unit 4 of the Medupi Power Station was successfully returned to service eight months ahead of its original schedule. This has added 800MW to the national grid. This milestone strengthens South Africa's energy security and enhances the stability of the electricity supply. Repairs Medupi's return follows extensive repairs, made possible by the innovative use of a refurbished Generator Stator, an alternative to waiting for a brand-new component. The unit had been out of service since 8 August, 2021, after sustaining significant damage from the explosion of its Generator Stator, a key component in the operation of the generation unit. ALSO READ: Eskom gets boost as Kusile's final unit adds 800MW to grid Back to work Spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said that, as part of the utility's Generation Operational Recovery Plan, Eskom's engineering teams implemented strategic measures to cost-effectively fast-track the unit's return. 'To avoid the costly delays associated with the lengthy delivery time of a new Generator Stator, Eskom sourced a used stator from the Netherlands as an interim solution, enabling the early return to service of Medupi Unit 4. 'With the return of Unit 4, all six units at Medupi are now operational and will contribute a combined capacity of 4 800MW to the national grid once the unit reaches full output in the coming weeks,' Mokwena said. Milestone Eskom Group Chief Executive Dan Marokane said the return of Medupi Unit 4 marks a major milestone in the parastatal's strategic objective of achieving operational stability through the addition of 2 500MW to the grid. 'This achievement moves us closer to consistently overcoming load shedding, which is now largely behind us due to structural improvements in the generation fleet, as we continue to build a more reliable, resilient, and sustainable power system'. ALSO READ: Koeberg Unit 2 back online, but what caused the 'unplanned' trip? Explosion Eskom has not disclosed the cause of the explosion at Medupi Power Station or the cost of the repairs. While the explosion caused severe damage to the generator, seven employees were treated for shock, but no injuries or fatalities were reported. The explosion occurred just before 11 pm on 7 August, while hydrogen was being displaced with carbon dioxide and air to locate an external leak. This procedure of displacing hydrogen with carbon dioxide and air is called purging What does Medupi mean Medupi which means 'rain that soaks parched lands, bringing economic relief' is located in Lephalale, Limpopo province. The power station holds the distinction of being one of the world's largest dry-cooled, coal-fired power plants. ALSO READ: Eskom takes action after breach of online vending system
The Citizen
03-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Eskom takes action after breach of online vending system
The system was exploited to generate and distribute fraudulent prepaid electricity tokens. Eskom says it has taken decisive action to strengthen its systems and restore public confidence following the disclosure in its full-year 2024 financial results, released in December 2024, of a forensic report detailing the breach of its Online Vending System (OVS). The power utility said the system was exploited to generate and distribute fraudulent prepaid electricity tokens, revealing critical vulnerabilities in both the physical and cybersecurity components of its prepaid electricity infrastructure. Forensic investigation Eskom launched a forensic investigation in December last year into an electricity theft racket involving the use of illicit tokens for prepaid meters that may have cost the company billions of rand in lost revenue. It also probed the security of its IT systems, including the involvement of some of its employees. Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said in response, the utility undertook a comprehensive review and intervention strategy aimed at mitigating these vulnerabilities and restoring system integrity. 'Eskom uncovered weaknesses in physical and cybersecurity components on its OVS system.' ALSO READ: Is Eskom winning the fight against corruption and theft? Progress Eskom's Group Chief Executive, Dan Marokane, said the utility has made significant progress in enhancing and protecting its infrastructure, ensuring greater resilience and reliability. 'We are fully aware of the challenges that have emerged within the OVS environment, and we have taken clear steps to address them. Our focus is on restoring trust, strengthening our systems, and ensuring that our customers can rely on a secure and efficient service. 'This is not just a technical fix, it is part of a broader commitment to transparency, operational excellence and accountability,' said Marokane. Vigilance Eskom stated that, while it continues its investigation in conjunction with law enforcement agencies, the findings will only be shared once the process is complete and the appropriate time for disclosure has been determined. The utility said it continues to investigate and strengthen its systems and governance, calling on stakeholders and its customers to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity related to prepaid electricity tokens ALSO READ: Was Stage 6 load shedding revenge for tariff decision? Eskom CEO responds
