Eskom implemented rotational blackouts on Thursday after it failed to return power generation units to the grid and after additional breakdowns overnight.
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Eskom on Wednesday warned that rotational blackouts could return at any moment as its struggled to meet demand for electricity with 11GW in unplanned breakdowns in its generation fleet.
The appointment of a white treasurer at Eskom has become mired in allegations of racism, deepening a political dispute between a rabble-rousing opposition party and a cabinet minister.
Manufacturers all along the solar supply chain have boosted prices in the past month after a 19 July explosion forced the shutdown of a major polysilicon factory in Xinjiang, China.
A pact between South Africa’s government, labour unions and business to cut Eskom’s debt won’t include a pledge to use the pensions of state workers as had been initially proposed.
Eskom, which relies on coal to generate most of South Africa’s electricity, issued a request for bids to build its first battery-energy storage system, according to a newly published tender document.
Eskom plans to cancel a contract to buy as much as R14-billion of fuel oil from Econ Oil & Energy after a probe it commissioned found Econ’s fees had been inflated.
André de Ruyter, the CEO of South Africa’s debt-stricken state power utility, is navigating a political minefield as he collects overdue debt, reduces electricity theft and bolsters revenue.
Six of Eskom’s generation units tripped on Monday, dramatically increasing the chances of the return of rolling blackouts this week.
Eskom’s gross debt surged to R480-billion after the struggling state-owned power utility borrowed from its lines of credit, documents show.