ESKOM ALLAYS FEARS

29 April 2010 - 02:00
By Katlego Moeng

WHILE City Power officials were locked in a high-level meeting yesterday following numerous sporadic electricity blackouts in and around Johannesburg, Eskom insists that there is no capacity problem at the moment.

All Eskom was willing to say yesterday was that there would be enough electricity for the World Cup.

City Power spokesperson Louis Pieterse had earlier told a regional radio station that several technical faults that had caused the blackouts had been reduced in the last decade.

In a statement, Eskom said: "Preparations for the World Cup event included a risk assessment across all divisions in the electricity supply chain.

"These were ensuring the integrity of the electricity supply chain (and) examining the activities within the power stations, the network of about 28000km of transmission lines and the distribution division, which links to the municipalities who are the final suppliers of electricity to the majority of end customers.

"Should electricity demand come under severe pressure, Eskom will use the open cycle gas turbines and also import electricity from the Southern African power pool."