DUE to the failure of additional generating units and the delay of several units to return to service, Stage 6 load shedding will be implemented at 16:00 this afternoon until further notice, says Eskom.
The power utility said that this is expected to persist throughout the week. This change follows various recent amendments to the original weekend schedule and the outlook for the days ahead. The weekend was meant to be at a steady stage 4 however, on Saturday (6 May), breakdowns at the company forced Eskom to push to Stage 5.
According to Eskom, it would publish a further update as soon as any significant changes occur. Breakdowns are currently at 19,333MW of generating capacity, while the generating capacity out of service for planned maintenance is 4,524MW.
“Since yesterday morning, a generating unit each at Duvha, Lethabo and Medupi power stations have returned to service.” “Over the past 24 hours, a generation unit each at Majuba, Medupi and Tutuka power stations were taken out of service due to breakdowns,” said the company.
Furthermore, the delay in returning units to service at Arnot, Camden, Hendrina, Majuba, Matla and Tutuka power stations continues to add to the current capacity constraints.
Eskom said that its team is working around the clock to ensure that generating units are returned to service as soon as possible. To mitigate further power outages and reduce demand, the company has urged consumers to switch off geysers from 17:00- 21:00.
Stages above 3 and 4 have almost become the norm as the country has spent the equivalent of a whole month in darkness this year so far. The future for Eskom only looks bleaker as the winter is expected to bring it increased demand.
Schedules
For people living in the major metros, load shedding schedules are available here:
- City of Johannesburg
- City of Ekurhuleni
- City of Tshwane
- City of Cape Town (PDF)
- Nelson Mandela Bay
- eThekwini
- Manguang
- Buffalo City
For access to other load shedding schedules, Eskom has made them available on loadshedding.eskom.co.za.
Smartphone users can also download the app EskomSePush to receive push notifications when load shedding is implemented, as well as the times the area you are in will be off.
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