eskom

Photo by Gallo Images/Charles Gallo

Load shedding forecast: Nothing this week, but expect more blackouts before 2019

Eskom says its generation system performance is below desired levels, thus raising the risk of load shedding for the remainder of 2018.

eskom

Photo by Gallo Images/Charles Gallo

Eskom is not currently load shedding and the forecast for it is low for the rest of the week. The power system remains tight, the utility firm said on Monday.

Load shedding forecast for November – December 2018

This comes after load shedding was implemented on Sunday. The company have made the following statement:

“The wider context for the tight system performance is that our generation system currently faces operational challenges, which include deterioration of coal-fired power stations, 10 stations with less than 20 coal stock days as per grid code requirement resulting in increased utilisation of emergency resources including open cycle gas turbines (OCGTs).”

The performance of its generation system is below desired levels, it said, thus raising the risk of load shedding for the remainder of 2018.

Eskom Group Chief Executive Phakamani Hadebe said the utility has put in place a Nine Point Recovery Plan to address the utility’s key operational challenge. These include fixing new plants, fixing full load losses and trips, fixing units on long-term forced outages, partial losses and Boiler tube leaks among others:

“We encourage residents and businesses to please use electricity sparingly to ease the demand for electricity. Please switch off geysers as well as all non-essential lighting and electrical appliances to assist in reducing demand.”

The utility held a media briefing last week at which it stated that it was undergoing “trying times”. Hadebe told the briefing:

“Eskom has undergone trying times, during the past couple of years and it’s up to us those who have the privilege to work at Eskom to do their level best to bring this institution where it belongs.”

How to check when Eskom load shedding affects you

On Monday, the utility advised its customers to keep checking their load shedding schedules on the Eskom or local municipal website and plan on the assumption that load shedding will take place.

For Eskom customers, these schedules are available on http://loadshedding.eskom.co.za. You can also call the customer contact centre at 0860 037 566.