Question NW2315 to the Minister of Electricity and Energy

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08 January 2025 - NW2315

Profile picture: Baptie, Mr E

Baptie, Mr E to ask the Minister of Electricity and Energy

What (a) was the cause of the incident that took place at Kriel Power Station on the 3 November 2024 and (b) damages have been sustained as a result; (2) what is the (a) impact of the damages on the (i) grid and (ii) operations at the specified power station, (b) cost to repair the damages and (c) time frame to complete the repairs?

Reply:

(1) (a) & (b) At Kriel Power Station, a pipe breakage caused an oil leak on Unit 6 turbine's oil system.
The oil landed on a hot surface and ignited causing a fire that damaged some turbine components, cabling, instrumentation, and the roof of the turbine house. The turbine was immediately shut down and the fire extinguished. There were no injuries to personnel.

(2) (a) (i) The impact of this shutdown on the grid is that this unit will not be available for production until it is returned to service. Up to 475MW will not be available during this time. It is not expected that this will lead to loadshedding. (ii) There is no impact on the operations of the remaining five units at the power station

(b) The final cost of repair will be determined after completion of the repairs to the unit. Inspection of the damages was immediately carried out by the engineers and a repair scope was issued.

It is important to note that whilst this incident resulted in an unplanned outage, the generation system was able to meet supply without having to resort to Load shedding. This is a testimony to the success of the Generation Recovery Plan, which is increasingly contributing to the stability, reliability and resilience of the generation system, and ultimately to our energy security objectives.