Eskom to ease load shedding yet again this weekend

Eskom, the South African power utility, plans to start easing load shedding into the weekend, scaling back from stage 6 and introducing stages 1-4 load shedding over the weekend. Eskom has been struggling to keep unplanned outages below 17,000MW for some time, and the current generating capacity out of service for planned maintenance is 3,369MW. The good news is that breakdowns have decreased to 16,369MW of generating capacity and a Matla Power Station generating unit has returned to service. Eskom’s current capacity constraints are due to delayed service to Camden, Hendrina, Kendal, Matla, and two generating units at Tutuka Power Stations. Despite Eskom’s efforts to burn more diesel and turn to demand-side management to balance supply and demand, there is still an incredibly high risk of stage 7 or stage 8 load shedding.

Load shedding Schedule:

Thursday, 18 May

Stage 4: until 16h00
Stage 5: 16h00 to 00h00

Friday, 19 May

Stage 5: 00h00 to 05h00
Stage 4: 05h00 to 16h00
Stage 5: 16h00 to 00h00

Saturday, 20 May

Stage 5: 00h00 to 05h00
Stage 3: 05h00 to 16h00
Stage 4: 16h00 to 00h00

Sunday, 21 May

Stage 4: 00h00 to 05h00
Stage 1: 05h00 to 16h00
Stage 4: 16h00 to 00h00

As always, it is essential for people to be aware and prepared for load shedding when it occurs to minimize its effect on their lives. Staying informed with the load shedding schedule is crucial to managing energy usage and avoiding chaos during load shedding hours. Eskom continues to make efforts to manage reliability and improve system performance, but residents need to do their part by conserving energy during times of pressure on the grid.