Etanans granted entry into Eskom’s secretive Kendal power station

The Etana team pictured at the Kendal power plant

On Thursday 7 April, the Etana risk management team were joined by Tony Tsuen, who heads up Etana’s underwriting function, and they had the privilege of visiting the Kendal power station close to Witbank, on what was to be a experiential learning experience.

The journey began early in the morning where all 20-odd eager, excited and passionate risk management team members boarded two branded buses and departed from Etana House en-route to Kendal.

On their arrival, the crew was met by Mike and Marius – Eskom risk managers, who were the hosts for the day.

Eskom's Kendal power station in Witbank

An early start to the surveyors' day as they prepare for departure from Etana House

Etana’s hosts, Mike and Marius, who are dedicated risk managers at the power station

An unscheduled smoke break on the side of a busy national road

Marcel Wood showing his fellow surveyors the finer points of changing a wheel

Warren Gradidge putting his back into ensuring he knocks over all the pins

Due to the sensitive nature of the activities at the power station, the Etana team was not allowed to enter the premises with cellphones or cameras, which was a bit disappointing, but understandable. The visit started at the offices where the Etanans were given a presentation by Marcus, the Kendal plant manager.

They were given some startling facts and figures:

• Eskom generates 42 000 megawatts of electricity from 13 power stations countrywide
• Kendal is the largest of these, generating 3 611 megawatts
• Eskom employs approximately 10 000 employees
• Each transformer building is approximately 100m to 120m high and about 50m wide and they sit side by side – hence being referred to as a “six‑pack”
• The power station has five cooling towers
• Each cooling tower is equal in height and width, measuring approximately 170m
• The coal is fed from a coal mine within close proximity to the power station via conveyor belts
• Kendal uses approximately 45 000 tons of coal EVERY DAY
• There are several kilometres of conveyor belts
• There are three coal-feeding bins that can hold up to eight tons of coal at any given point in time
• Natural water feeds into the premises via two or three pipes, each with a radius of about three to four metres – approximately two Olympic pools of water every second are channelled
• The power station has two water purification plants
• The by‑product of the burnt coal – ash – is then sorted into “usable and unusable” and dropped either into feeding bins for recycling (used in cement and cement bricks) or taken out via conveyors and dumped onto a designated site away from the premises.

The group was then split into three and taken around the power station to see exactly how each of the areas operates. This was somewhat of a physical challenge for the Etanans who were not exactly “fighting fit” as Tony noted. They started at ground zero, walking under the massive steel structures that held up each of the transformers. The cooling tower was approximately 40m to 50m above ground level over the transformers and the Etanans also walked over several purpose-built bridges over the pipelines, finally ending up back at the admin offices for a finger lunch and wrap-up.

Before leaving Kendal, the Etana team decided to take a drive around the back of the power station to see where the coal was brought onto the premises on a network of conveyor belts. From there it went through a series of crusher plants for sifting and sorting. Afterwards it underwent a grading process to extract the best coal, which was deposited into the relevant feeding bins for use.

From here the Etanans were shown where the on-site fire station was located after which they proceeded to the exit and said goodbye to their hosts. To add more excitement to the day, on their way back from Kendal, their Volkswagen bus had a blowout and they had to stop to change the tyre. Unfazed they decided the day wasn’t over yet and opted for some 10-pin bowling at The Zone in Rosebank and the Etana brand team joined in the fun.

“I would like to extend a special thanks to Marcel Wood, head of Etana’s risk management team, for arranging the outing to Kendal, which gave his surveyors and I an experience to think about and take home,” says Tony.

“It was great to get out and mix with the risk management team,” adds Josie Holley, Etana brand champion. “We are usually all so busy and most of the risk surveyors are generally out of the office on site, so I really enjoyed meeting the team and we had a good time at 10-pin bowling.”

People in Risk

Marcel Wood

Marcel Wood heads Etana’s risk management division. Before starting in insurance he worked for the fire department, rescuing people and (literally) putting out fires. He’s passed through Munich Re and Santam, and has designed the only risk management tool aimed specifically at the insurance industry – ARQ. Marcel is a mean guitarist, a brilliant vocalist and an accomplished soccer player with the personal motto: “Do your best all the time”.