Eskom confirms a fire incident at Grootvlei Power Station, no injuries to staff reported

Sunday, 23 July 2023: Eskom confirms that a fire broke out at Grootvlei Power Station Unit 2 at approximately 07h50 yesterday, 22 July 2023. The fire was contained and extinguished within an hour with no injuries sustained.

The unit was online and generating 175MW of electricity when it was shut down. The unit was manually shutdown following the fire incident due to a leaking fuel oil supply/return pipeline.

The fire was only confined to the feedwater regulating station and the front-firing floor as the Eskom team managed to isolate the sources of fuel preventing catastrophic damage to the unit.

Investigations are currently underway to establish the cause of the leak as well as the nature and extent of the damage caused.

The return to service of the unit will be determined in due course. Eskom will work around the clock to ensure that the unit is returned to service as soon as possible.

ENDS