Blackouts tonight in Soweto, Ivory Park after two Eskom units tripped

Eskom has urged the public to reduce electricity usage as the generation system remains constrained, after two generation units tripped.

It also said it will be “implementing load reduction from 5pm to 10pm, to avoid network overloading in high density areas that are prone to illegal connections, meter bypasses and vandalism of electricity infrastructure”.

Affected Areas:

Ivory Park
Ivory Park Ext 6, 7A & B, Ext 8 and 10, Kaalfontein Ext 7, Lindokuhle Extension 2, Tswelopele Ext 1 and Rabie Ridge.

Soweto

Bram Fischerville, Dobsonville, Dube, Doornkop, Glen Ridge, Protea Glen, Protea Industrial Park, Protea South, Meadowlands East Zones 1, 2 & 4, Meadowlands West Zones 6 – 9, Mmesi Park, Mofolo North and Orlando.

“During the load reduction implementation, customers are urged to switch off all their electrical appliances to avoid power surges when power returns. Failure to do so may lead to transformer trips or failures, and damages to household appliances when supply is restored,” Eskom said.

“Please do not log a fault during this period. Report illegal connections on the Eskom Crime-Line number: 0800 11 27 22.”

Meanwhile, “This morning [Wednesday] one generation unit each at the Kendal and Tutuka power stations tripped, adding to the Tutuka unit that tripped yesterday [Tuesday] evening,” the power utility said in a statement.

“Eskom teams are hard at work trying to return these units to service.

“While the Medupi unit that tripped yesterday evening has been successfully returned to service today, the power generation system remains constrained,” it said.

“Any additional breakdowns will compromise Eskom’s ability to supply the country through the peak demand period of 17:00 – 21:00. This constrained supply situation may persist through the weekend.

“We urge the public’s co-operation in managing demand in order to help us supply the country’s demand through the peak periods.”

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