Ramokgopa: Tutuka cannot be worst performing power station
Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has urged workers at Tutuka Power Station in Mpumalanga to improve its levels of performance.
Ramokgopa visited the station on Wednesday as part of his tour of all 14 Eskom power stations.
He started the tour on Monday with a visit to Kriel and Duvha power stations in Mpumalanga, engaging workers, management and the unions as he gets to grips with his new portfolio.
Ramokgopa told technicians and senior managers at Tutuka that he believes the station can play an important role ending load shedding.
"We are a team, if Tutuka collapses, all of us are out of employment. If load shedding continues and we can't make a case why a station that is performing at 35% energy availability factor must be sustained, then it is the end of us.
“You know this plant better than I do. I am not an electrical engineer, I am not a mechanical engineer, I am a civil engineer, and we build structures. I don't know how this system works.
“But it's you who've studied this thing, It is you who understand this operation, some of you have been here for 30 years, 15 years, 25 years, you know this thing better than anyone else
“I am here to say to you, I am with you, I am on your side. I will fight for the case of Tutuka beyond 2030, we must show everyone that we are not among the worst performers," added Ramokgopa.
The power station has been labelled the worst performing, contributing massively to the country's electricity crisis.
The station has also reported several cases of fraud, theft and sabotage.
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