Stage 2 load-shedding to begin this afternoon

Stage 2 load-shedding will be in place from 5pm on Monday afternoon, Eskom has announced.

The struggling power utility had initially said the power cuts would kick in from 9pm on Monday, but that was changed just 20 minutes later.

“Medupi unit 3 broke down a short while ago. This requires stage 2 load-shedding to be implemented continuously starting at 5pm this afternoon until 5am on Wednesday,” the updated information said.

Eskom said in its initial release: “This load-shedding is required for Eskom to replenish the emergency generation reserves, which have been utilised significantly since the past weekend. [Additional] load-shedding might be required at short notice should there be any further significant breakdowns.”

Eskom said that since Monday morning, a unit each at the Matla, Kendal, Matimba, Kusile and Grootvlei powerstations tripped, while a unit each at Arnot and Hendrina power stations were forced to shut down.

“This, in addition to other units that had tripped at the weekend, reduced available generation capacity, forcing Eskom to rely heavily on emergency generation reserves to keep the lights on,” spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said.

Total breakdowns amounted to 14,508MW while planned maintenance was 6,307MW of capacity.

“While we expect some generation units to return to service over the next 24 hours, Eskom appeals to all South Africans to help us limit the impact of load-shedding by reducing the usage of electricity and to switch off all nonessential items,” Eskom said.