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Eskom has announced that due to the loss of an additional 5 generating units, stage 3 load shedding will be implemented from 2pm on Friday afternoon until 5am Monday morning.
The dark lords of Megawatt Park said thereafter, for the week ahead, stage 2 load shedding will be implemented continuously.
Spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said the additional load shedding on Friday night is required to manage and recover the emergency generation reserves which have been utilised extensively over the past five days.
“Eskom, therefore, urges all South Africans to continue using electricity sparingly. Since this morning, three generating units at Tutuka Power Station as well as two Kusile Power Station generating units tripped, necessitating the escalation in the stage of load shedding.”
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“The delay in the return to service of Koeberg Unit 2 has exacerbated the capacity shortages. During this weekend, critical planned maintenance at Hydro de Cahorra Bassa in Mozambique, Lethabo, Majuba, Matimba and Camden power stations will be carried out in preparation for the week ahead, Mantshantsha said.
Mantshantsha said the parastatal currently has 4 588MW on planned maintenance, while another 17 131MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns.
“Eskom will hold a media briefing on Monday, to update the public on the state of the power system. Any further significant changes will be promptly communicated,” he said.
Meanwhile, the City of Joburg (CoJ) is moving forward with its plans to take over electricity distribution in areas within its jurisdiction currently served by Eskom, despite the challenges facing its electricity utility City Power, according to Moneyweb.
Eskom currently handles distribution for 38% of the CoJ’s area of jurisdiction, including Sandton, Bryanston, Waterfall, Fourways, Sunninghill, Diepsloot, Cosmo City, Ivory Park, Orange Farm and parts of Soweto.
A motion proposed by Action SA on the matter, and adopted by council last week, called for a report within 100 days about the impact of such a step, among other things.
ALSO READ: Joburg accuses Eskom of ‘poor service’, but can it do better?
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