Eskom Ramps Up Load-Shedding Amid Maintenance Challenges

Eskom’s Power Struggle Intensifies

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Eskom has escalated its load management strategy, oscillating between stage 2 and stage 3 load-shedding, following the offline transition of several generating units for essential maintenance.

Maintenance Downtime:

• Immediate Actions: “Over the past 24 hours, five generation units were taken offline for repairs,” Eskom disclosed on Monday.
• Delayed Returns: The reactivation of two units was postponed to accommodate additional preventative maintenance.

Current Load-Shedding Schedule:

• Stage 3 Implementation: From 16:00 Monday to 05:00 Tuesday.
• Reduction to Stage 2: Continues from 05:00 until 16:00 Tuesday, with this cycle set to repeat indefinitely.

Operational Challenges:

• Unplanned Outages: Currently, 16,473MW of capacity is affected by unplanned outages.
• Planned Maintenance: An additional 7,521MW is unavailable due to maintenance activities.

Recovery Efforts:

• Capacity Restoration: Eskom targets the return of 1,600MW to the grid by Wednesday.
• Peak Demand Forecasts: The evening peak demand is expected to reach 26,411MW.

Public Appeal:

• Energy Conservation: Eskom urges the public to minimize electricity usage by turning off non-essential appliances.
• Community Gratitude: “We would like to thank those who heed the call to use electricity sparingly and efficiently,” including specific advice on managing geysers and pool pumps to mitigate demand pressures.

In this challenging period, Eskom’s proactive measures and maintenance activities underscore the utility’s efforts to stabilize the power grid. The public’s cooperation in conserving electricity is crucial to easing the burden on the system, as Eskom navigates through the complexities of maintaining consistent power supply amidst extensive maintenance requirements.