Daylight Reprieve: Eskom Halts Load Shedding During Daytime This Week

Eskom, the national power utility, has announced that it will once again halt load shedding during daylight hours this week. However, evening power outages will continue at stage 3.

Week’s Load Shedding Schedule:

• Sunday, 11 June: Load shedding till 16:00 at stage 1, escalating to stage 4 from 16:00 to midnight.
• Monday, 12 June: Load shedding suspended from midnight till 16:00, followed by stage 3 till midnight.
• Tuesday, 13 June: Load shedding suspended from midnight till 16:00, followed by stage 3 till midnight.
• Wednesday, 14 June: Load shedding suspended from midnight till 16:00, followed by stage 3 till midnight.

This pattern will persist until further notice, stated Eskom.

Despite equipment malfunctions surpassing Eskom’s safety net plan of 15,000MW, the suspension of load shedding will continue. Current breakdowns stand at 16,115MW, while the planned maintenance has 3,766MW out of service.

Power Station Updates:

• A generating unit each at Arnot and Kendal power stations have been returned to service in the last 24 hours.
• Conversely, one generation unit each at Kriel and Hendrina power stations has been withdrawn due to malfunctions.
• Ongoing delays in restoring a generating unit at Grootvlei, Hendrina, Majuba, and Tutuka power stations are contributing to the current capacity constraints.

Eskom has assured that its teams are working tirelessly to get these units back in service over the next few days. For the power utility to maintain load shedding at a minimum or potentially avoid it, breakdowns need to stay below 15,000MW.

This recent string of daytime load shedding suspensions has been credited to improved plan performance, boosted wind generation, and increased diesel consumption.

Reduced Demand and Maintenance:

Meanwhile, planned maintenance has been reduced, and power demand has also come in lower than expected (31,400MW against expectations of 33,000MW or more).

Despite the suspension of load shedding during the day, Eskom continues to be in a precarious situation and warns that circumstances can change with minimal notice.