Coal dumped on road in Mpumalanga as Optimum miners demand pay
Protests erupted outside the Hendrina power station in Mpumalanga on Monday morning, as workers demanded their salaries.
Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe tweeted: "Workers of Optimum Coal Mine (OCM) are currently protesting at the entrance of the mine and also along the route to the Hendrina power station. OCM employees are demanding to be paid their monthly salaries. Hendrina is one of the 10 stations with low stockpiles."
NOTICE: Workers of Optimum Coal Mine (OCM) are currently protesting at the entrance of the mine and also along the route to the Hendrina power station. OCM employees are demanding to be paid their monthly salaries. Hendrina is one of the 10 stations with low stockpiles.
— Eskom Spokesperson (@KhuluPhasiwe) November 26, 2018
University of Cape Town energy expert Anton Eberhard tweeted: "These kinds of actions will hasten the energy transition and the closure of old, dirty, costly coal power stations."
Radio reports this morning of coal being dumped by strikers on national road near @Eskom_SA’s Hendrina Power Station. These kinds of actions will hasten the energy transition and the closure of old, dirty, costly coal power stations
— Anton Eberhard (@AntonEberhard) November 26, 2018
This comes after Eskom announced on November 16 that it was moving coal from its Medupi power station in Limpopo by road to Mpumalanga, where 10 power stations have coal stockpile shortages.
Power stations are supposed to have enough coal to keep the lights on for 20 days.
The affected Mpumalanga power stations are Arnot, Camden, Duvha, Hendrina, Komati, Kriel, Kendal, Majuba, Matla and Tutuka.
During a media briefing on November 16, the power utility said it had a recovery plan in place, but "loadshedding cannot be ruled out for the remainder of 2018".