Load shedding reduced to stage 4 until further notice, Eskom confirms

Embattled power utility, Eskom has announced the reduction of load shedding to stage 4 with immediate effect.

In a statement on Sunday morning, the state-owned enterprise (SOE) said stage 4 will continue until further notice.

The power utility on Saturday had confirmed that load shedding would go down from stage 6 to 5.

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Eskom has previously acknowledged the impact of rolling blackouts on consumers and businesses.

According to the SOE, the continuous load shedding the country has been experiencing was due to Eskom’s lack of performance and unwarranted delays in independent power producer (IPP) projects.

Since the beginning of 2023, South Africans have endured constant power cuts without any end in sight.

Earlier in the week, Eskom seemed to have implemented stage 8 load shedding without informing the public.

Here are the different load shedding stage explained:

Stage 1

Stage 1 allows for up to 1 000 MW of the national load to be shed. This is the “cosiest stage”, for lack of a better world. Outages will be implemented three times over a four-day period for two hours at a time, or three times over an eight day period for four hours at a time.

Stage 2

Stage 2 allows for up to 2 000 MW of the national load to be shed, and doubles the frequency of stage 1. Outages will be implemented six times over a four-day period for two hours at a time, or six times over an eight-day period for four hours at a time

Stage 3

Stage 3 allows for up to 3 000 MW of the national load to be shed. This stage increases the frequency of stage 2 by 50%, so outages will be implemented nine times over a four day period for two hours at a time, or nine times over an eight day period for four hours at a time.

Stage 4

Stage 4 allows for up to 4 000 MW of the national load to be shed. Outages will be implemented 12 times over a four day period for two hours at a time, or 12 times over an eight day period for four hours at a time.

Stage 6 and 7

Stage 6 is the highest we’ve ever been shed, the dark and dreary month of December 2019. At stage 6 and 7, Eskom sheds 6 000MW and 7 000MW respectively, which means power cuts will be scheduled over a four-day period for four hours at a time.

Stage 8

The dreaded stage 8 doubles the frequency of stage 4, meaning Eskom will shed 8 000MW and residents will be in the dark up to six times a day, or 12 hours depending on the schedule.

Additional reporting by Cheryl Kahla