Stage 2 load shedding back at 8am on Friday

Stage 2 load shedding will continue throughout Friday, starting at 8am and lasting until 10pm.

Load shedding was implemented on Thursday after several units went out of commission on Wednesday. In a statement, Eskom said four units were brought back online on Thursday, but this was not enough to avoid further blackouts.

“Staying in stage 2 load shedding will also assist us in preserving our emergency generation reserves, namely diesel and water,” the power utility said.

While a unit each at Matimba, Kusile, Tutuka and Kriel power stations were returned to service, two units at Kriel, and a unit each at Duvha, Tutuka and Kendal power stations were still offline, which necessitated the continued load shedding.

The breakdowns have wiped 13,500MW from the grid while planned maintenance took a further 5,000MW offline.

Eskom also warned that it was experiencing “low levels of reliability” and that any unexpected breakdowns will further constrain generation capacity. As a result, the country should brace for blackouts to run into the weekend.

ALSO READ: Load shedding looms this week, and for at least two more years

Earlier this week the CSIR said the future duration and severity of load shedding was dependent on the decisions taken by industry role players.

According to its report, Setting up for the 2020s: Addressing South Africa’s electricity crisis and getting ready for the next decade, the cost of load shedding to the economy is as high as R338 billion over the past 10 years.

“Load shedding is expected to continue, at least for two to three years, and this is dependent on the key actions and decisions that are taken by various industry custodians as well as stakeholders,” Jarrad Wright, CSIR principal engineer, said on Wednesday.

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