National power utility, Eskom, says it expects two units at the Kendal Power Station to be returned to service early this week.

This comes after the power station’s Unit 1 tripped in the early hours of Saturday morning, causing Units 2 and 3 to lose vacuum and be subsequently shut down.

In a statement, the state-owned power utility said although the power station’s Unit 1 will be returned to service in November, alternate sources of energy will be used.

“While Eskom will be forced to increase diesel consumption, we do not anticipate that any load shedding will be implemented as a result of the incident. We urge members of the public to continue using electricity sparingly to assist the country.

“Eskom will keep the public informed should there be any significant change in the power system,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, Eskom has advised the Tweeling community in the Free State that the area’s current interrupted electricity supply may last until Tuesday.

Power supply to the town has been interrupted since Saturday evening due to a failure of Tweeling Transformer 11.

“A replacement transformer required for the restoration of electricity supply to Tweeling…is expected to arrive [Monday] evening. Once the transformer arrives on site, replacement will commence. If no complications are encountered, supply is expected to be restored by midday [on Tuesday],” Eskom said in a statement.

Source: South African Government News Agency