Eskom has implemented stage 6 load-shedding from early on Tuesday morning until further notice. The power utility had previously announced that generation capacity would be down due to planned maintenance, but a further two units need urgent attention. Multiple power stations need to be attended to immediately for repairs.
Power was already on low reserves when the additional units broke down over the weekend.
Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said:
“Stage 6 load shedding [we are] experiencing now is largely due to us ramping up planned maintenance and unplanned capacity loss factors.”
Eskom to Drop Load-shedding to Lower Stages by the End of the Week
“When we were starting to recover, we had additional units break down late Sunday evening and yesterday,” said Eskom Head of Generation, Bheki Nxumalo. But Nxumalo expects that by the end of the week, pumped storage reserves will have likely recovered, enabling lower stages of load shedding.
https://gauteng.net/news/gauteng-committed-to-solving-load-shedding/
Nxumalo explained what went wrong with some units; a few of the breakdowns needed time before they could be repaired. For example, Eskom’s team had to wait for boilers to cool down at the Medupi and Matla units before they could do any repairs. Duvha had faults with gas air heaters and based on the location of the issue, the units need to be shut down.
Eskom limited planned maintenance during the winter period but is gradually increasing it to preserve the system in the long term. This does not, however, limit unplanned outages. Ramokgopa reassures South Africans that there is adequate planning to protect the grid and improve generation capacity. So, major events like the BRICS Summit and the Rugby World Cup do not put unnecessary strain on the system.
Medupi Unit 5, Lethabo Unit 6, and Kriel Unit 6 should be back online from Wednesday and Thursday. However, planned maintenance is likely to remain high throughout the summer period. To get your load-shedding schedule, click here.
Eskom urges citizens to use electricity wisely by switching off all non-essential appliances.