Eskom says it has temporarily closed its Camden power plant in Mpumalanga because the dam where it stores the ash from burning coal could burst and endanger local residents.

The state-owned electricity utility’s 1 600-megawatt power plant will be closed for up to three months after a “review by a professional body,” Eskom said in a statement on Thursday.

“The contractor concluded that the current dam has reached its maximum height and therefore it poses a safety risk to all personnel on site, including neighbouring communities and could also be a cause for environmental contravention.”

This closure poses additional challenges for the company. Eskom may potentially partially close its Kendal power plant, because it breaches pollution emission limits.

Eskom was served with a compliance notice earlier in 2020 by the environment department, demanding it curb emissions from the 4,116MW Kendal plant or face its partial closure.

Of the plant’s six generating units two are operating within emissions limits, one is being repaired and is offline and three are exceeding the limits

Power-plant pollution has been tied to complaints ranging from respiratory diseases to heart attacks and strokes.

Sources: MoneyWeb, BusinessDay