Eskom warns of high risk of stage 2 load shedding on Monday

South Africans have been warned to brace for a high probability of stage 2 load shedding at short notice.

Eskom issued an urgent alert regarding a high-risk rolling blackout on Monday evening.

Generation units

The parastatal’s spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, said several generation units have broken down.

“Over the past 12 hours, six generation units have been taken offline, placing severe strain on the power system and requiring the use of emergency reserves.”

“If an additional 800MW is lost, Eskom will be compelled to implement Stage 2 load shedding at short notice. Efforts are underway to return seven generation units to service between the evening peak and Tuesday evening,” Mokwena said.

Mokwena added that Eskom teams are closely monitoring the situation, and further updates will be provided at 10pm or earlier if necessary.

ALSO READ: Eskom gets boost as Kusile’s final unit adds 800MW to grid

Load shedding

Eskom’s warning comes less than a week after it imposed stage 2 load shedding last week.

Mokwena said Eskom had lost several generation units.

“While we have made notable progress in our generation recovery efforts, Eskom faced the loss of five generation units before the peak period.

“We continue to prioritise planned maintenance to strengthen system reliability ahead of the winter months while ensuring adherence to environmental and licensing conditions,” Mokwena said.

Kusile Power Station

Meanwhile, as winter approaches, Eskom has gotten a major boost, with Kusile Power Station’s final generation unit adding 800 MW to the electricity grid for the first time.

The parastatal announced that Kusile Power Station’s Unit 6 was brought online at 4:45pm on Sunday.

Mokwena said the unit will undergo further testing over the next six months before officially integrating into the grid and formally becoming part of the utility’s generation fleet.

She said the achievement marks a crucial step towards Eskom’s objective of adding 2 500 MW of new capacity to the grid by March 2025.

ALSO READ: Eskom gets boost as Kusile’s final unit adds 800MW to grid