Generator breakdowns contribute to latest Stage 6 loadshedding escalation

State-owned power utility Eskom will implement Stage 6 loadshedding from 16:00 on January 11, until further notice. The entity cites severe capacity constraints as the reason behind the more prevalent planned blackouts, particularly since eleven generators totalling over 5 GW of capacity had broken down on January 10.
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Stage 6 loadshedding to run continuously until further notice

Eskom has announced that Stage 6 loadshedding will now run continuously from 16:00 on Wednesday until further notice.  The power utility said that 11 generators amounting to 5 084MW of capacity suffered breakdowns since Tuesday morning. These were a unit each at the Camden, Duvha, Grootvlei, Hendrina, Kendal, and two units each at Kriel, Majuba and Matla power stations. 
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South Africa at key stage of nuclear revamp as power grid reels

South Africa has entered a critical phase of revamping its sole nuclear plant and needs it to run according to plan to avoid deepening power cuts that are already at a record and wreaking havoc on the economy. The first of two units at the 1 940-megawatt Koeberg plant was shut down last month for refueling and the replacement of its steam generators, work that’s expected to be completed in early June, state power utility Eskom said in an emailed response to questions. The overhaul of the second unit is due to begin a few months later.
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Zambia extends electricity rationing to mining firms

Zambia has started rationing electricity supply to mining firms following reduced power generation after a big drop in water levels in lake Kariba, the chairman of state-owned power utility Zesco said on Tuesday. Water levels in the lake were down at 1.66% of usable storage on Monday for the Kariba North Bank Power Station in Zambia and the Kariba South Bank Power Station on the Zimbabwean side of the lake, said the Zambezi River Authority, which manages the dam.
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€25m loan pledged for 44 MW Côte d’Ivoire hydroelectric plant

Infrastructure development funds, Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF) and Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), have announced a €25-million finance facility to Ivoire Hydro Energy (IHE), which will build a 44 MW hydroelectric generation plant on the Bandama river near the village of Singrobo, in Côte d’Ivoire.

EAIF’s long-term financing package enables IHE to achieve financial close for the project, accelerating the design, construction and operation of the power plant and associated infrastructure and boosting rural access to clean energy.

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DA says it will fight Eskom’s move to Energy Dept

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Tuesday that it is “implacably” against the African National Congress’s (ANC’s) intention to move Eskom from the Department of Public Enterprises to the Ministry of Energy, overseen by Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe. The DA said the move also had potentially significant financial implications for the country.
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Zambia to engage Zimbabwe over use of hydro plant at Kariba Dam

Zambia President Hakainde Hichilema says he will engage his Zimbabwean counterpart, Emmerson Mnangagwa, in a private “family conversation” over the use and management of the hydro plant at Kariba Dam. This at a time when both Zimbabwe and Zambia are experiencing reduced electricity generation because of low water in the dam.
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Energy department to oversee Eskom

President Cyril Ramaphosa said the energy department will take over responsibility for overseeing state utility Eskom Holdings, which has been failing to meet the nation’s power demand since 2008. The change will be in line with a resolution adopted by the governing African National Congress at its national conference last week, which specified that state companies operating in specific economic sectors should be overseen by the relevant government departments. That could potentially signal a dissolution of the Department of Public Enterprises, which oversees Eskom, logistics company Transnet and several other entities.
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Scramble to restore electricity as City Power deals with 17 incidents of cable theft, vandalism

Many areas in and around the City of Joburg have been without power since Friday after at least 17 incidents of cable theft and vandalism were reported. One person has since been arrested.
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Ramaphosa says Eskom CEO quit because ‘it’s a tough job’

The CEO of Eskom Holdings Andre de Ruyter resigned because “it’s a tough job,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said, stressing that the government has a “cohesive” plan to resolve the national power shortage. Ramaphosa said the government is not “sleeping on the job,” with regard to the worst ever power cuts the nation has experienced and he has spoken to his ministers about the need for a uniform approach to the problem.
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