Power supply is stable – Eskom
JOHANNESBSURG - Eskom has lifted its power emergency notice but the public has been cautioned to continue using electricity sparingly.
The electricity supplier said the system was now stable but it remained under pressure which could give rise to another emergency.
Eskom urged South Africans to save at least 10 percent of their electricity usage.
“Understanding the impact on our key industrial customers and the South African economy, the emergency has been lifted,” said Brian Dames, Eskom chief executive.
“The system still remains critical and we will continue to heavily rely on the partnerships we have with our customers for the necessary voluntary load reduction to keep us going.”
Eskom declared a power emergency on 19 November which Dames said was a necessary decision that was not taken lightly.
Prior to this Eskom had not declared a power emergency since 2008.
Dames said, “We are in a much better position to manage the situation than we were back then. We now have the requisite skills, experience, knowledge, programmes and a robust risk and early warning protocol in place.”
Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba thanked South Africans for using electricity prudently.
“The onus is on government and Eskom to remain transparent about the system to enable South Africans to plan accordingly,” said Gigaba.
On Eskom’s website, the utility advised the public to switch off geysers, pool pumps and all non-essential lights, and to act on the power supply alerts on television each evening
