Crisis-ridden power utility Eskom is approaching the Auditor-General and the National Treasury to seek approval for a special procurement dispensation that will allow it to accelerate the purchase of critical goods and services required to address ongoing breakdowns of its coal fleet. The underperformance of Eskom’s aging and under maintained fleet of 15 coal-fired power stations – along with the fact that the units in commercial operation at the new Medupi and Kusile coal stations were prone to tripping and were delivering only 40% of their rated capacity – is the main contributor to South Africa’s current bout of confidence-sapping load-shedding.
