Load shedding could return next week – Eskom

According to struggling power utility Eskom, unplanned breakdowns coupled with increased demand for electricity as people return to work on Monday could lead to the return of load shedding.

While during the holiday season Eskom has had a decreased demand of about 4,000MW,  the utility said in a statement on Friday that it expects an increase in demand from Monday to about 27,500MW from an average of 24,000MW during the holiday season, with demand further increasing to about 29,000MW by the end of January.

Unplanned breakdowns have meant that Eskom’s has lost more than its desired threshold of 9,500MW, meaning there is hardly any power in reserve and the return of load shedding is a distinct possibility as demand rises.

The utility has had roughly 30,000MW of dispatchable energy to use during each day of the holiday season.

“The risk of load-shedding remains high as the level of plant breakdowns has been trending above the low-risk level of below 10,500MW,” a spokesperson for the company said.

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