Share

Eskom has Medupi software back-up plan

Johannesburg - Eskom may bring in another company if French multinational Alstom fails to install software for the Medupi power plant's boilers in time, the parastatal said on Thursday.

"We have a contingency plan in place in case Alstom is not able to meet any of its milestones," Eskom spokesperson Andrew Etzinger said.

Etzinger said Eskom would not cancel its contract with Alstom, and would merely bring in another company to work alongside it.

"On [the boiler protection software] part of their work, we have noticed that [Alstom] is lagging behind," he said.

Eskom wanted the software installed by mid-2014.

He said if the back-up plan was used it would not cause further delays.

The Star reported on Thursday that the parastatal could possibly dump Alstom's contract for managing the computer program that would manage Medupi's six boilers.

The newspaper reported that Siemens was poised as Alstom's possible replacement.

Etzinger could not comment to Sapa on which company would be used in its contingency plan.

In October, Eskom said South Africa could expect electricity from coal-fired power stations Medupi in Lephalale, Limpopo by 2014.

The first of six 794 megawatt units at Medupi would produce electricity in the second half of 2014.

The rest of the units in both power stations would go online in eight-month intervals until completion in 2018, the company said at the time.

Etzinger said on Thursday that progress at Medupi was still going well.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.90
+0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.85
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.39
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders