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Eskom’s performance has collapsed thanks to its overly complex management system, inadequate maintenance, and low staff morale. This collapse can be seen in photos of the utility’s poorly run coal-fired power stations.
The photos and feedback are from the German consultancy group VGBE Energy, which the National Treasury commissioned to analyse the performance of Eskom’s coal-fired power plants and recommend ways to improve them.
The German engineers, who have extensive experience running coal-fired power plants, spent four and a half months studying South Africa’s ailing power utility.
They went through Eskom’s coal fleet, plant by plant, to determine what changes the utility should make to improve the performance of the individual stations.
They pointed to several overarching issues, such as Eskom’s complex management system, inadequate maintenance, and low staff morale, as reasons why the utility’s performance has declined.
Another factor is the general incompetence and lack of ability to implement theoretical knowledge in practice.
However, the report said that most of the issues “relating to the low Energy Availability Factor (EAF) can be attributed to a single root cause.”
“The management system with its governance, structure and processes is dysfunctional and too complex.”
Eskom has too many organisational layers and unclear decision-making processes. This generates a tremendous amount of red tape and a lack of accountability, they said.
“Eskom’s generation fleet has been trapped within this complex management system for so long that it is no longer able to maintain or improve the technical performance of the coal-fired plants.”
The report included many photos that illustrated the lack of maintenance and general housekeeping of Eskom’s coal-fired power plants, showing just how far the utility’s once-high standards have fallen.
Arnot Power Station
Example of poor housekeeping at Arnot Power Station 
Examples of steam and water leakages in Arnot’s boiler house 
Removed filling of Arnot’s cooling tower
Camden Power Station
Valve leakages in Camden’s boiler house 
Turbine with cracked spray insulation at Camden power plant 
Steam leakages on the lower floors of the Camden machinery house
Duvha Power Station
Leakages at Duvha boiler house 
Leaking pump in Duvha’s boiler house
Grootvlei Power Station
Water leakages in Grootvlei’s dusty boiler house 
Flooded and wet floors at Grootvlei
Kendal Power Station
Kendal Unit 2 – PAH duct covered in ash and dust (April 2023) 
Kendal station was covered in a dust cloud in May 2022 
Back of Kendal’s boiler at ash handling plant. Ash was everywhere, with water covering the floor.
Kriel Power Station
Example of cracked plaster insulation at a pipe in Kriel’s boiler house 
Water and steam leakages in Kriel’s boiler house
Kusile Power Station
Poor housekeeping at Kusile 
Water logging in Kusile’s coal handling plant
Lethabo Power Station
Lethabo’s water treatment plant in May 2023
Majuba Power Station
Majuba boilers with a lot of dust due to bad housekeeping 
Majuba’s ash extraction, emergency disposal – poor housekeeping 
Coal mill at Majuba Unit 1 with patchy canals and overall bad condition 
Soiled transformer at Majuba power plant – covered in grease and oil from the ACC fans
Matimba Power Station
Poor housekeeping in Matimba’s boiler house
Tutuka Power Station
Massive dust pollution at Tutuka’s boiler house 
Water/oil leaking on instrumentation and electrical equipment at Tutuka 
Water distribution and structure of a cooling tower at Tutuka 
Poorly-cleaned turbine with cracked spray insulation at Tutuka 
Tutuka’s tank room for turbine lube oil – with poor housekeeping
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