Eskom has permanently shut down several power generation units at older power stations due to its inability to fix them, the Sunday Times reports.
This decision has cut the power utility’s available electrical capacity to meet demand, which may increase the risk of load-shedding going forward.
Eskom said that the old power generation units at Hendrina, Grootvlei, and Komati which have been taken offline are not included in the utility’s current generation capacity of 46,000MW, despite not being formally decommissioned.
After shutting down older power plants, Eskom said it planned to resolve the problems at its newest Medupi and Kusile power stations, which have cost the company a significant amount while producing disappointing results.
Massive debt
Despite posting a R1.3-billion profit in the six months through September 2019, Eskom anticipates a R20-billion loss for the full year.
Eskom’s debt burden rose to R454 billion, from R440 billion at th
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