Call for emergency measures to curb power outages

Energy expert Ted Blom has called for emergency measures to be put in place to help curb power outages. This after Eskom’s Spartan substation caught fire in the City of Ekurhuleni, affecting areas including Isando and the Kempton Park CBD.

OR Tambo International Airport was also plunged into darkness causing major inconveniences to commuters. Power has now been restored.

An Eskom substation supplying power to the City’s 66kV and 132kV networks is on fire, resulting in no power to Aston Manor, Cargo and Spartan substations in Kempton Park. pic.twitter.com/P6lZbdgwRl

— CITY OF EKURHULENI (@City_Ekurhuleni) January 12, 2020

Blom says more capacity is needed to allow Eskom time to do maintenance.

“It seems to me that Eskom is in dire straits; even more serious than most people and even the president seem to have realises. I think it is time for emergency measures. The emergency measures, in a normal country where the utility is not politicised, is you would bring in extra capacity. If Eskom wasn’t politicised, the thing to do is get the standby capacity and create space on the grid for proper maintenance. Everybody knows that Eskom has massive backlog of maintenance. There is no political will because this place is politicised.”