Eskom’s Daytime Load Shedding Break: Here’s Your Updated Guide

Good news for South African households: Eskom, the national power provider, is rolling out a lighter load shedding schedule. They’re giving the day a break, but the evenings? Still a bit dicey.

The Quick Rundown:

• Daytime Relief: From Wednesday through Sunday, power outages will be put on pause from 5 AM to 4 PM.
• Evening Affairs: Load shedding will downshift to stage 2 over the weekend, but it’s stage 3 for the rest of the week evenings.

Break It Down: The Schedule

• Tuesday, 8 August:
  • Day: Stage 1 till 4 PM
  • Night: Stage 3 from 4 PM to midnight
• Wednesday to Friday, 9-11 August:
  • Early Morning: Stage 3 till 5 AM
  • Day: No load shedding from 5 AM to 4 PM
  • Night: Stage 3 resumes from 4 PM to midnight
• Saturday, 12 August:
  • Early Morning: Stage 3 till 5 AM
  • Day: Power’s on from 5 AM to 4 PM
  • Night: Dialing down to Stage 2, 4 PM to midnight
• Sunday, 13 August:
  • Early Morning: Stage 2 till 5 AM
  • Day: Full power from 5 AM to 4 PM
  • Night: Stage 2 sticks around, 4 PM to midnight

Just a quick heads-up: Eskom’s schedules can be fickle. The planned outages can change based on supply, demand, and other unpredictable elements.

Behind the Scenes at Eskom

At present, the company is grappling with breakdowns affecting 15,420MW of their generating capacity. Another 3,841MW is out for scheduled maintenance.

Latest Updates:

• Wins: Power stations at Arnot, Camden, and Lethabo got a boost with a generating unit each bouncing back into action.
• Setbacks: Meanwhile, units at Kriel and Tutuka took a timeout for repair work. Also, Kendal and another Tutuka unit are dragging their feet on resuming service, adding to Eskom’s current capacity woes.

Eskom’s promised to keep everyone in the loop with updates, especially if there’s a major shakeup. So, fingers crossed for more light and less shedding.