eThekwini: Eskom pulls plug on load shedding exemption

eThekwini Municipality will introduce a new, revised load shedding schedule in an effort to protect the national grid from next week Thursday.

eThekwini has been on a reduced level of load-shedding and had been excluded from stages 1 to 3 due to the negative impact on the electrical network by the KwaZulu-Natal floods in April last year.

Normal load shedding stages ‘unavoidable’

However, municipal spokesperson Lindiwe Khuzwayo said it has become unavoidable for Durban to be exempt of normal load shedding stages as experienced by the rest of the country.

This while the city’s infrastructure is not yet repaired to pre-flood levels.

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New eThekwini schedule will be implemented

The new schedule will be effective from Thursday 25 May.

“The city is finalising the amended load shedding schedule, and this will be shared with the public as soon as it is ready. Suburban-block allocations have been amended to accommodate the required changes,” Khuzwayo explained.

Residents should check their suburbs against their new block numbers when the schedule is published.

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Impact of load shedding on industrial areas

“Areas with a large industrial component have been allocated to blocks 17 to 20 and will be shut off from stage 7 upwards for a duration of four hours at a time. This is expected to limit the impact of load shedding on production.

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Tips to prevent ‘high waiting loads’

“Customers are urged to minimise their electricity usage. Customers are also urged to switch off high-load appliances during power outages to prevent high waiting loads when the power does return. This will prevent extended outages,” Khuzwayo said.

Edited by Cornelia le Roux.
This article originally appeared in Highway Mail and was republished with permission. Read the original article here.