Eskom announced stage 1 load shedding. Picture: iStock
Stage 2 load shedding is set to continue until 5am on Wednesday, 17 March, Eskom has announced.
In a statement on Sunday, Eskom said breakdowns at a number of power stations had resulted in the “generation capacity is still being severely constrained”.
“Over the past two days, Eskom teams successfully returned a generation unit each at the Matimba and Medupi power station.
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“However, during the weekend we have suffered further breakdowns at five power stations, putting further strain on the generation capacity.
“Additional breakdowns have occurred at the Tutuka, Majuba, Kusile, Matimba and Duvha, adding to previous breakdowns at the Kriel and Kendal power stations,” the power utility said.
The power utility also said it has experienced delays in units returning to service at Hendrina, Duvha and restoring full load on the Cahora Bassa line.
“We currently have 6,545MW on planned maintenance, while another 12,915MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns and delays. This has led to our inability to supply the demand.
“Eskom is working hard to return the units back to service. Eskom will continue to assess and communicate promptly as the situation changes.
“As previously communicated, Eskom continues to implement reliability maintenance during this period, and as such the system will continue to be constrained, with the possibility of loadshedding remaining elevated.
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“Eskom requests the public to continue using electricity sparingly as the system remains vulnerable and unpredictable, and we will communicate timeously should there be any significant changes to the power system.”
Earlier this week, Eskom announced it was implementing stage 2 load shedding from 5pm on Wednesday until 11pm on Friday.
The power utility also extended on Wednesday that there was a high probability that load shedding could continue through the weekend.
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