eskomTimesLIVE reports that according to state-owned power utility Eskom, Covid-19 has affected its operations at the Medupi power station, where 48 of 75 contractors have tested positive for Covid-19.  

The company said in a statement on Sunday:  “Despite Eskom's stringent measures to manage the impact of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic on the operations, we are experiencing some impact on operations, including our suppliers.  For example, at the Medupi power station we have 48 positive cases out of a pool of 75 contractors, which has negatively affected our ability to execute work as planned.”  Eskom implemented stage 1 and 2 load-shedding on Sunday and Monday due to its “constrained and vulnerable” system.  Frustrated by the power cuts, some accused Eskom of using Covid-19 as a scapegoat, while others questioned whether the utility has a permanent solution to its infrastructure problems.  On Monday evening, the power utility announced that it would suspend the power cuts after an improvement in its capacity.


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