Eskom has confirmed that a fire broke out at Unit 2 of the Duvha Power Station near Emalahleni on Monday morning.
The utility said the blaze was quickly extinguished, and no personnel reported injuries.
It is investigating the root cause of the fire, and assessing the resulting damage and possible return to service of the unit.
Eskom confirmed the incident after two videos purporting to show smoke rising from the power station were posted on Twitter earlier in the day.
There goes the days of our lives and loadshedding! 🤦🏾♂️
Apparently this is Duvha Power Station. pic.twitter.com/AvEjCeLmZG
— m a s h è s h a 💨 (@_mashesha) June 13, 2022
Duvha Power Station unit 2 its On fire More Loadshedding @tedblom @ewnreporter @SAfmnews @SABCNews @eNCA . pic.twitter.com/ULwVugBncY
— Mfana Walter Sindane (@WalterMfana) June 13, 2022
Fortunately, the unit has been offline for a general overhaul since January 2022, and its unavailability should not have an immediate impact on the probability of load-shedding.
The Duvha Power Station was built in 1980 and became the first in the world to be fitted with pulse jet fabric filters on three of its six units in 1993.
These remove 99.99% of fly ash from the plant’s emissions, reducing the overall impact on the environment.
Each of the station’s units has a maximum capacity of 600MW each, with the station being able to produce up to 3,600MW in its prime.
Its two 300-metre chimneys are counted among the tallest structures in Africa.
Loading ...
Join the conversation Autoload comments
Comments section policy: MyBroadband has a new article comments policy which aims to encourage constructive discussions. To get your comments published, make sure it is civil and adds value to the discussion.