Stage 4 load shedding to be in place at night until further notice

Eskom on Sunday announced that stage 4 load shedding will continue to be implemented from 4pm until 5am.

Stage 2 load shedding will then be in place from 5am until 4pm.

The power utility said this pattern of electricity cuts will continue until further notice.

Breakdowns and maintenance

Breakdowns and planned maintenance have once again been given as the reasons for the rolling blackouts.

“Breakdowns have reduced generating capacity to 15 798MW, while the generating capacity out of service for planned maintenance is 3 099MW,” the Eskom statement said.

“Over the past 24 hours, generating units at Grootvlei, Kendal, Kriel, Majuba and Medupi power stations was returned to service.  

“The delay in returning to service a generating unit at Kendal and two generating units at Tutuka power stations is contributing to the current capacity constraints.”

ALSO READ: ‘Load shedding an unwelcome occurrence, all of us suffering’ – Ramokgopa

Eskom appealed to South Africans to use electricity sparingly. This includes switching off geysers and pool pumps from 5pm to 9pm, it said.

“This lowers demand and helps in alleviating the pressure on the power system and contributes to lower stages of load shedding.”  

‘Load shedding an unwelcome occurrence’

Earlier on Sunday, Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said load shedding is an “unwelcome occurrence”.

ALSO READ: Dark days for Eskom security

He, however, said there have been some improvements in generation capacity to lessen the severity of load shedding.

“As we said before, load shedding is an unwelcome occurrence, but the more we are able to illustrate that there’s gradual improvements in terms of the number of hours that your lights are on and off and we use this to measure the stages of load shedding.

“So, that’s why we try to ensure that by all means we don’t go beyond stage 4, and again we are looking forward to the subsequent weeks that we should be able to take it down,” Ramokgopa said.