Eskom announces stage 2 load shedding

Eskom, South Africa’s state-owned power utility, has declared that Stage 2 load shedding will persist throughout this week, commencing daily from 16:00 until 5:00 the following day.

This decision comes as a response to the need to replenish emergency reserves for the week ahead, despite sustained available generation capacity.

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Load-shedding recommenced at Stage 2 from 16:00 on Sunday, with plans to continue overnight.

Eskom: Load shedding pattern continues until further notice

According to Eskom, this alternating pattern of load shedding will endure until further notice.

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“Thereafter, load shedding will be suspended from 5am until 4pm on Monday. Stage 2 load-shedding will then be implemented again from 4pm on Monday until 5am on Tuesday. This alternating pattern … will be repeated daily until further notice,” said Eskom.

Unplanned outages have affected 13 350MW of generating capacity, while 8476MW is undergoing planned maintenance. Eskom anticipates that approximately 3300MW of generating capacity will be restored to service by Monday.

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The utility urges energy efficiency amidst high demand

With Sunday evening’s peak demand projected at 24 979MW, Eskom urges consumers to utilise electricity sparingly and efficiently.

This includes actions such as switching off geysers and pool pumps from 17:00 to 21:00 or during periods of limited load, which aids in reducing demand and alleviating pressure on the power system, thereby contributing to lower stages.

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Eskom reassures the public that it will promptly communicate any changes to the load shedding schedule.

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