The team of 11 experts is headed by Tsakani Mthombeni, the chairman of the Energy Intensive Users Group (EIUG), and retired engineer and mining professional Ian Morrison. It has four weeks to conduct the review, Gordhan's office said.

Their brief includes reporting on plant unavailability due to scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and unplanned outages, operator errors and technical and operator-linked inefficiencies that result in unsatisfactory output from power stations.

"The technical review team includes academic, engineering and power systems professionals and is required to conduct a rapid but intensive review of the operations, maintenance and the technical environment at Eskom power stations within four weeks of commencing their work," the minister's office said.

Gordhan and Eskom chairman Jabu Mabuza and CEO Phakamani Hadebe met with the team on Monday.

The other members are Seeralan Chinaboo, Khumo Morolo, Gladman Mkwai, Robbie van Heerden, Sibuyela Sishuba, Walter Schmitz, Vitesh Maharaj, Lwazi Goqwana and Phindile Mooketsi.

The appointment of the team is among emergency measures taken to restore operational stability at the troubled power utility, which began resorting to load-shedding again late last year. Plans, bitterly contested by labour, have been announced to divide Eskom into three separate units in a bid to make operations more efficient and turn around the company's dire finances.

African News Agency (ANA)