[miningmx.com] – SOUTH African gold mining companies had cut their power consumption a fifth amid a national load-shedding programme which had been deployed by power utility Eskom today – the first since 2008.
Eskom also announced a power emergency, the fourth since December, as it struggled to cope with a combination of pressures on supply including maintenance of its ageing fleet, lack of funds to buy power from independent power producers, and interruptions from Cahora Bassa in Mozambique. It was also contracted to sell at least some power to neighbouring states in the SADC region.
BDLive reported comments from both Gold Fields and Sibanye Gold that they had originally been requested to cut power consumption 20%, but that production levels had not been affected. Eskom confirmed the load-shedding programme.
“We have asked our large industrial customers, to reduce their consumption by 10% but it appears this will not be enough,” Eskom spokesperson, Andrew Etzinger told newswire agency Sapa.
Etzinger added that load-shedding had been on a two-hour rotational basis with municipalities deciding which areas should be affected and when. Excessive rainfall in the Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces had soaked coal inventories.
“We are complying with Eskom’s request to reduce consumption by 20% but we are still producing,” Sven Lunsche, spokesperson for Gold Fields told BDLive.
Said James Wellsted, head of corporate affairs at Sibanye Gold: “Sibanye Gold has, in cooperation with Eskom, previously developed contingency plans to accommodate requests of this nature.
“The company is implementing the agreed measures to reduce its power usage as requested and does not expect to incur any production losses, unless the situation again escalates”.
