Eskom implements Stage 4 load-shedding after Koeberg unit trips

JOBURG – Eskom said that the teams are investigating the root cause of the fault and will provide a solution once it has been established.

Update, 10 March, 2.22pm

Eskom has announced that load-shedding has been moved up to Stage 4 following breakdowns at the Koeberg nuclear power station.

The power utility said the unit had been disconnected from the grid due to a fault on the turbine, however, the nuclear reactor remained safe.

Stage 4 began at 2pm this afternoon.

Initial report, 10 March, 11.02am

Stage 2 load-shedding is currently being implemented.

Eskom announced that this may continue for the rest for the week as there were delays in returning some generation units that were expected to return to service on 9 March.

They will now only return during the course of the week and this has put additional pressure on the system and necessitated a continuation of load-shedding. Teams are hard at work returning the units to service.

“It is only through a partnership between Eskom and all stakeholders that we may soon emerge from these difficult times. We urge every South African to co-operate in managing electricity consumption with care to help us minimise load-shedding,” said Eskom in a released statement.

Customers are urged to continue using electricity sparingly by doing the following:

Keep your morning shower short to lessen the load during the morning peak
Take food out of the freezer for dinner and put it in the fridge to thaw. It’ll save you using the microwave to defrost it later
Set air-conditioners’ average temperature at 23ºC
Switch off your geysers over peak periods
Unplug that cell phone charger before you leave the house. It uses electricity even if your phone is not plugged in
Use the cold water tap rather than using the geyser every time
Set your swimming pool pump cycle to run twice a day, three hours at a time
At the end of the day, turn off computers, copiers, printers and fax machines at the switch.

Eskom appealed to customers to revisit their load-shedding schedules on Eskom or local municipal websites, depending on their electricity supplier, to review amendments.

Related article:

https://alexnews.co.za/149820/eskom-help-minimise-load-shedding-peak-hours-load-shedding-continue-thursday/