Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, is expected to visit the Kusile Power Station today.
At least three of the power station’s units are currently offline due to a flue gas duct failure which occurred during October last year – costing Eskom at least 2400MW of capacity.
The three units are expected back online later this year.
“During the visit, the Minister will receive a status report on the measures taken to bring back the four units at Kusile by December. This will be followed by an inspection of the construction project taking space at Kusile currently.
“Government has taken steps to improve the performance of Eskom’s existing coal fleet as section of a resolution to load shedding. The visit to Kusile is fraction of the Ministers efforts to ensure the station is on track to produce the much needed megawatts,” a Government Communication and Information Scheme media statement read.
Meanwhile, Eskom has announced that it expects the country to alternate between Stage 3 and 5 load shedding until further notice.
Stage 3 will be implemented between 5am and 4pm daily followed by Stage 5 from 4pm to 5am.
Breakdowns at power stations are currently at 16 486MW of generating capacity with some 3 817MW generating capacity out of service due to planned maintenance.
“In the last 24 hours, a generation unit at Duvha Power Station was taken out of service due to breakdown. Furthermore, the delay in returning units to service at Arnot, Camden, Kendal, Tutuka and two generating units at Hendrina power stations continue to add to the current capacity constraints. The team is working tirelessly to ensure that generating units are returned to service as soon as possible.
“We thank those South Africans who finish heed the call to use electricity sparingly and efficiently, including switching off geysers from 5pm to 9pm, in helping to abate the pressure on the power scheme and avoiding higher stages of load shedding,” Eskom said. – SAnews.gov.za
Classy Luck
Fun South African Fact: South Africa has continuously paid tribute to Dr Christiaan Barnard’s groundbreaking medical achievements.
Digital Equinox
Van is getting married, but he and his fiancee have never done the deed – in fact he\’s never been with any woman before. He\’s getting more and more nervous as the big day approaches, so he confides in his friend. His friend says \’No worries man. I\’ll come by the honeymoon suite before you guys get there, and I\’ll hide behind the curtain, and I\’ll whisper instructions to you.\’
\’You\’d do that for me?\’
\’Sure thing man!\’
So the wedding day arrives, it was a lovely service (so I was told, I wasn\’t there myself) and Van\’s friend sneaks into the honeymoon suite as promised and hides behind the curtain.
Van and his new wife arrive in the room, get settled on the bed, and things are getting steamy.
But Van is still super nervous and his tummy is bubbling, so he murmers to his wife, \’Listen babe, I\’m just gonna go to the bathroom quick. I think it\’s that wors roll from earlier.\’
\’Sure thing babe.\’
So Van goes into the bathroom, and he\’s taking quite a long time. And his wife is starting to feel the nerves herself. And it\’s getting worse. She can\’t hold it in. But she doesn\’t want to go after he\’s gone and totally ruin the mood. So she looks around and finally finds a shoebox. Quickly, she does her business in the shoebox, and she shoves it under the bed just as Van comes back from the loo.
Van gets back on the bed and they go at it again. But after a minute or so Van smells something not so lekker.
\’What\’s that smell?\’
\’Nothing babe,\’ he wife tries to assure him.
\’No man there\’s definitely something not so lekker in this room!\’VSo Van starts looking around the room, in the corners, in the cupboard, and finally he looks under the bed, and sees the shoebox.
He pull it out, and opens it up, and in horror he shouts \’Sies! Daar\’s kak in hierdie doos!\’
And from behind the curtain his friend yells, \’NEE MAN, DRAAI HAAR OM!\”