State-owned utility Eskom has assured the country that the tripping of Unit 6 at the Kriel power station, in Mpumalanga, on November 3, would not impact the current generation capacity or lead to loadshedding.

The unit tripped following the loss of hydraulic oil to the turbine valves. A preliminary investigation revealed that an oil pipe had broken, causing an oil spill on the hot surfaces of the turbine, which triggered a fire.

Eskom said the ongoing, incremental results of the Generation Recovery Plan have continually added more of a buffer to the system to manage incidents such as this, confirming that the system has sufficient reserves.

The station’s fire and emergency team responded swiftly to extinguish and contain the fire, with Eskom confirming that no personnel were injured and that all other units at the power station remain fully operational.

The utility said the standard investigation procedure was currently under way to assess the extent of the damage and the time required for repairs and restoration.

When functional, Kriel’s Unit 6 contributes 475 MW to the power grid. With this unit temporarily offline, total unplanned outages stand at 8 483 MW, still 4 517 MW below the base case for the summer season.

The current available generation capacity is 30 809 MW, with the November 4 peak demand expected to be 26 364 MW.

Eskom assured that there were currently adequate reserves for evening peak demand, with an additional 720 MW expected to return to service later in the day.