NATIONAL NEWS - Eskom is likely to keep implementing stage 2 load shedding for the rest of this week.
Eskom has only confirmed that it will stay in place until 23:00 on Monday without respite.
Generating units have remained out of service due to breakdowns and the ongoing rain has wet the utility’s coal.
The utility said there was a “high probability” of load shedding until the end of the week. They have appealed to customers to help reduce demand on the system.
“Last night [Thursday] we implemented load shedding because we wanted to augment water resources. Some of the units we expected to come back [online] did not come back,” Eskom’s spokesperson explained on Friday.
“Further to that, this morning [Friday], because of the rain, we are starting to experience coal-handling issues because some stations now have wet coal, and thus more units are not able to generate.”
They have said they suffered “unplanned breakdowns”, a phrase they have continued to use in subsequent communications.
The embattled power utility has been struggling with capacity after being hit by these “unplanned breakdowns” that went beyond the 10,500MW threshold.
They apologised to the country on Thursday and said that if people lowered their demand in a “concerted” way, it would help minimise strain on the grid.
However, a cold front and very wet weather have no doubt been putting pressure on the system.
Consumers have been advised to check their local schedules to see how they will be affected.
