No load shedding expected despite ‘unplanned breakdowns’

Eskom was using emergency generation reserves to supplement supply, as there had been some “unplanned breakdowns” on Saturday, the parastatal said in a statement.

Additional generation units were planned to return to service early next week, which would improve the power system outlook for the coming week. This would further reduce the possibility of load shedding.

Generation system remains ‘unpredictable’

“We remind customers, however, that the generation system remains constrained, vulnerable, and unpredictable. As such, load shedding could be implemented at short notice if there is a change in the generation system performance. We request customers to continue using electricity sparingly to help curb demand.”

“Unplanned breakdowns” or outages were at 11 497 MW as at 16:15 on Saturday afternoon and planned maintenance outages were at 6 213 MW.

New Eskom CEO, Andre de Ruyter, has warned that load shedding, as a result of ageing infrastructure and a legacy of poor maintenance plans, should be anticipated to last for another 18 months.

Mboweni backs Eskom alternative

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni highlighted in his 2020 Budget Speech on 26 February, that Eskom’s continuous failure to keep the lights on, stood directly in the way of economic growth, adding that government will do “whatever it takes” to ensure a stable and sustainable electricity supply.

Mboweni explained that while Eskom would receive an estimated R60 billion over the next few years, other power alternatives were actively being investigated. This would serve to open up the way for the addition of renewables and Independent Power Producers (IPPs). 

Red Berets’ mass march to Megawatt Park

However, on Friday 28 February, the Economic Freedom Fighters marched in the pouring rain to Eskom’s head office at Megawatt Park, in Johannesburg, to protest the embattled power utility’s implementation of load shedding, as well as the privatisation of public entities after the ANC government announced its plans to sell off certain operations and open up the grid for IPPs.

The Red Berets made use of this opportunity to again express their dismay with Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, whom they are blaming for the continuous implementation of load shedding.

The mass march led to a Johannesburg traffic nightmare with some EFF followers also confronting police officers at the onset of the march.

Some shoving and jabbing almost reached boiling point before some “more composed” protesters fortunately stepped in to break up the confrontation.