Load-shedding to start this afternoon as generation units fail
A generation unit each at Tutuka and Medupi power stations were forced offline, increasing capacity constraints on the system, Eskom says
Load-shedding will resume on Thursday night as severe cold weather in parts of the country puts strain on the power system.
“Eskom regrets to inform the public that due to shortage of generation capacity, coupled with the severely cold weather in parts of the country, stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented from 4pm to 9pm tonight,” the utility said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.
At stage 2, the utility implements rotational power cuts across the country to reduce 2,000MW of demand from the national grid, which has a capacity of about 30,000MW.
The threat of load-shedding continues to hang over the SA economy, posing one of the largest threats to the country’s post-Covid-19 economic recovery.
Eskom has been implementing an intensive maintenance programme to improve the reliability of its ageing fleet of power stations, but continues to experience problems with power generation.
“Unfortunately, a generation unit each at Tutuka and Medupi power stations were forced offline this afternoon, increasing the capacity constraints on the power system,” the utility said. “Further, a unit each at Medupi and Tutuka, that were expected to return to service this afternoon have now been delayed, further contributing to the shortages.”
Breakdowns currently total 14,137MW while planned maintenance is 2,924MW of capacity.
Eskom said it regretted the inconvenience caused by the power constraints, and urged the public to reduce the usage of electricity to help ease the pressure on the power system.