Ankerlig Power Station in Atlantis, Western Cape. Image: Eskom/ ANKERLIG POWER STATION CONVERSION AND INTEGRATION PROJECT, WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE
Load shedding to be eased over the weekend as diesel arrives
Eskom previously said Stage 4 load shedding would continue until the diesel shipment for Ankerlig and Gourikwa Open Cycle Gas Turbine stations arrived.
Ankerlig Power Station in Atlantis, Western Cape. Image: Eskom/ ANKERLIG POWER STATION CONVERSION AND INTEGRATION PROJECT, WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE
Eskom announced that Stage 4 load shedding is expected to be reduced by one stage from Saturday morning, 1 October. This comes as a diesel delivery bound for the power utility’s backup power stations, which it uses for extra generation capacity, arrived in Mossel Bay.
MUCH-NEEDED DIESEL SHIPMENT ARRIVES
Stage 3 load shedding will be implemented throughout the weekend. Eskom expects to transfer the diesel that arrived at the PetroSA facility in Mossel Bay to its Open Cycle Gas Turbine stations, called Gourikwa and Ankerlig, during the same period and the stations should be replenished by Monday.
“Eskom will also use the weekend to replenish the dam levels at the pumped storage schemes, which have been utilised extensively to complement generation capacity,” said the utility.
READ: Stage 15 load shedding: What is it and what could cause it?
The diesel shipment was delayed by rough seas, which prevented the offload at Mossel Bay. The power utility said it would maintain Stage 4 power cuts until the diesel could be supplied to its Open Cycle Gas Turbine stations.
South Africa is currently experiencing a record-long bout of load shedding. Earlier this year, in July, it was revealed that Eskom had already spent R4 billion on diesel in 2022, which was more than double the budget for the period.
LOAD SHEDDING LIKELY TO CONTINUE
Eskom expects a generation unit at Camden Power Station to return to service over the weekend, while the remaining units will follow suit over the following 10 days.
All eight generation units at Camden Power Station were taken offline after an incorrect valve was opened and caused de-mineralised water contamination on Wednesday night. A generation unit at Kriel Power Station was also taken offline for repairs.
READ: Stage 8 vs Stage 10 vs Stage 15: Eskom ‘doomsdays’ explained
“We currently have 5206MW on planned maintenance, while another 15 862MW ofcapacity is unavailable due to breakdowns,’ said Eskom.
Eskom said it will publish another load shedding update on Sunday afternoon or sooner if there are any significant changes. The power utility said load shedding is implemented only as a last resort.
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