ESKOM said today a unit at its 4,800MW Medupi power station had exploded – a development that swiftly ends the company’s joy at reaching full commercial production of the R234bn project.
The South African power utility said Unit 4 had exploded at about 22h50 last night (August 8). It suspects the explosion led to the tripping of Unit 5. No injuries were reported but seven employees required treatment for shock.
“Investigations are underway into the cause of the incident,” said Eskom. It would “… update the public on developments, as well as to what extent will this unfortunate incident impact the national electricity grid”.
Eskom said on August 2 that the sixth and final unit at Medupi had begun commercial supply of electricity to the national grid bringing to an end a project delayed by years and costing well beyond the initial R80bn project capital imputed to it.
The utility said that Unit 4 had been on short-term outage since August 6 when the incident occurred. Work on the unit was suspended with immediate effect.
“The area was secured and once it has been cleared by the fire chief and resident engineers; inspections and assessments will begin to determine the cause of the incident and extent of the damage caused,” it said.
Preparation for the return to service of Medupi Unit 5 is currently in progress.
