SOUTH Africa’s struggling State-owned utility Eskom will extend power interruptions on the national grid until Thursday, the company said on Twitter.
Stage 3 interruptions, meaning 3 000 MW are removed from the grid, will run from midnight on Sunday to 4 pm Monday and then daily until Thursday.
Constraints from diesel suppliers are hurting the availability of bulk diesel to two gas turbines, Eskom said.
“While we expect diesel deliveries from Tuesday onwards, should this uncertainty of supply persist, higher stages” of power cuts may be needed, it added.
Eskom will increase the power supply to 4 000 MW daily during evening peaks from 4pm to midnight until Thursday. It plans an update Wednesday afternoon “as soon as there are significant changes.”
The regular power disruptions in Africa’s most industrialised nation may trigger pay cuts as businesses struggle with intermittent electricity supply, Johannesburg-based Business Live reported Sunday. It cited Gerhard Papenfus, chief executive of the National Employers’ Association of South Africa.
Small businesses are struggling to operate in the face of crippling power cuts, which leave many workers idle during black-outs, according to the lobby group that represents 8 000 members.
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