POWER SUPPLY
Eskom looks for alternatives to Optimum coal
Eskom says load-shedding is unlikely, even though Hendrina's coal supply may have dropped below the required minimum of 20 days
Power utility Eskom says it is looking for an alternative fuel supply for the coal-fired Hendrina power station after its main provider, Optimum mine, threatened to stop deliveries. Eskom said on Thursday that rolling power cuts were unlikely despite coal supply possibly falling below a 20-day requirement at the Hendrina power station. “They wanted to increase the price,” Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe said on Thursday. The utility has an agreement with the Optimum mine, owned by Tegeta Exploration and Resources, to supply coal at R150 per tonne to December 2018 and the miner must adhere to that, he said. Phasiwe confirmed Eskom held an emergency meeting last Friday to determine whether strategic coal stockpiles at Hendrina and other stations were sufficient after Tegeta Exploration and Resources threatened to halt supply. Coal supply at Eskom’s power stations stood at 74 days’ worth in March but had fallen to 25 days’ worth at Hendrina by October and might since have fallen below a ...
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