Eskom Announces Ongoing Stage 2 Load Shedding, Awaiting Capacity Recovery

Eskom’s Power Management Update

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Extended Stage 2 Load Shedding: Eskom, South Africa’s power utility, has confirmed the continuation of Stage 2 load shedding until Wednesday, 17 January.

Reasons Behind the Extension:

• Improved Generation: There’s a noted improvement in generation capacity.
• Muted Demand: User demand is expected to remain low.
• Capacity Offline: Despite improvements, nearly 13,500MW is still offline due to breakdowns, and an additional 8,400MW is offline for maintenance.

Load Shedding Schedule:

• Duration: Continues until 16:00 on Wednesday.
• Next Update: Eskom will provide a further update on Wednesday.

Eskom’s Monitoring and Communication:

• Vigilant Monitoring: “Eskom will closely monitor the power system and communicate any changes should it be required,” the utility assures.

Recovery Efforts:

• Restoring Power: Efforts are underway to bring back at least 740MW of energy by Monday evening.
• Evening Peak Demand: The anticipated peak demand is around 25,500MW.

Recent Escalation to Stage 4:

• Sudden Increase: The downgrade to Stage 2 follows an unexpected rise to Stage 4 on Friday.

Insights from an Energy Analyst:

• Planned Maintenance Impact: Pieter Jordaan, an independent energy analyst, points out that Eskom’s planned maintenance schedule is a major factor in the load shedding escalation.
• Maintenance Challenges: While Eskom aims to utilize low-demand periods for maintenance, returning units on time to meet demand surges remains a struggle.
• Jordaan’s Observation: “The near 2,000 MW of planned losses that did not return on time (on Friday) introduced 2.5 stages of unnecessary load shedding,” Jordaan remarks.

Accessing Load Shedding Schedules

We are pleased to inform you that accessing load shedding schedules tailored to your specific area is now simplified, thanks to Loadshedding.com.

How to Access the Schedule:

1. Visit Load shedding Schedule.
2. Enter your suburb name to view the schedule for upcoming days.

If you’re uncertain about your suburb’s name, kindly refer to Eskom’s Loadshedding Site for assistance.

Device Compatibility: The Loadshedding.com platform is optimized for a range of devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers.

Pro-tip: Bookmark your suburb on the site for quicker access in the future.