Load shedding to resume on Tuesday morning

Share the Article:

Eskom has announced that Stage 2 load shedding will be implemented from 5am until 4pm on Tuesday.

It further said; Thereafter, Stage 3 load shedding will be implemented until Wednesday morning.

“With the current intensified maintenance aimed at improving the fleet performance, we had a setback of three generating units (2148 megawatts) not coming back online as anticipated.

“This coupled with a loss of six generating units (3113 mega watts), and projected increase in electricity demand requires Stage 2 load shedding to be implemented from 5 o’clock on Tuesday morning until four in the afternoon, followed by Stage 3 load shedding until 5am on Wednesday.

#POWERALERT1

Stage 2 loadshedding will be implemented from 05:00 until 16:00 on Tuesday. Thereafter, Stage 3 loadshedding will be implemented until 05:00 on Wednesday pic.twitter.com/68n38N2Feo

— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) January 1, 2024

“This pattern of Stage 2 load shedding in the morning and Stage 3 load shedding in the evening will be repeated daily until further notice,” the statement read.

ALSO READ | Gauteng Traffic Police calls on road users to be cautious, vigilant ahead of the new year

The power utility said it will closely monitor the power system and communicate any changes should it be required.

According to Eskom, unplanned outages are currently at 16 231 megawatts of generating capacity, while the capacity out of service for planned maintenance is 8451 mega watts.

Lower stages of load shedding

It continued; “Our teams are working tirelessly to ensure that 4 921MW of generating capacity is returned to service before the end of the week. Eskom’s load forecast for the evening peak demand for Tuesday is 23 011MW.

“We would like to thank those who do heed the call to use electricity sparingly and efficiently, including switching off geysers and pool pumps from 17:00 to 21:00, as this lowers demand and helps in alleviating the pressure on the power system and contributes to lower stages of load shedding.”

Meanwhile, minister in the presidency responsible for electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said he is pleased with developments in Eskom’s generation performance following the synchronisation of Kusile Power Station’s unit 5.

“The unit which has been synchronised on load for the first time on December 31, 2023, as scheduled, will contribute 800MW to the national electricity grid.

“In welcoming these developments … more work and efforts will continue towards adding more generation capacity to the grid to reduce and ultimately end load shedding,” he emphasised.