Eskom reports ‘major incident’ – as explosion rips through Medupi plant

Two units at the Medupi Power Plant have been taken offline, after an explosion was reported at the facility. Both Unit 4 and Unit 5 remain out of action, leaving Eskom to deal with a significant hit to their generational capacity.

Explosion reported at Medupi plant

The incident took place on Sunday night. The blast could be heard in nearby communities, and locals quickly raised the alarm. It’s not clear what sparked this explosion, but Eskom technicians are set to launch an investigation.

Chris Yelland, a leading energy expert in South Africa, says he has learned that the generator of Unit 4 was ‘purged of hydrogen’, sparking the crisis overnight. There is hope, however, that Unit 5 can make a quick recovery.

CONFIRMED: Explosion on Medupi Unit 4 at about 10.50 pm last night. apparently occurred while Unit 4 was on an outage and the hydrogen n the generator being purged of hydrogen. Unit 5 tripped as well, but apparently no damage and likely to be up in due course.

— Chris Yelland (@chrisyelland) August 9, 2021

Eskom generational capacity ‘facing pressure’

Dan Mashigo, a representative for Eskom Generation, did confirm a number of major details for us earlier. A total of seven workers were affected by the blast, but thankfully, no serious casualties have been reported. Once the fire chiefs at Eskom give the green light, forensics can get to the site to try and establish the cause.

“Medupi experienced an explosion at Unit 4, at 22:50 on Sunday night. We suspect the explosion resulted in a disturbance that caused Unit 5 to trip. Unit 5 is now under investigation, before a decision on its return to service can be made.”

“Seven workers were attended to for injuries and shock. They were all found to be okay, but require follow-ups. Unit 4 has been declared a no-go area and it is now being physically barricaded. The event is classified as a ‘major incident’.”