Weekend Power Management: Eskom Plans Varying Levels of Load Shedding

In an effort to manage ongoing energy challenges, Eskom has projected a dynamic load shedding scheme for the upcoming weekend.

Eskom’s Strategy

On Friday afternoon, Eskom unveiled its plan, disclosing that intermittent load shedding stages are in store for the weekend. Stage 5 is slated to initiate from 4pm on Saturday, extending until 5am the following morning, before transitioning to Stage 3 until 4pm.

Subsequently, Stage 5 will resume until 5am, followed by a Stage 2 load shedding session on Sunday morning, scheduled to last until 4pm. Eskom has indicated that Stage 4 will then come into play, persisting until at least midnight.

Why the Change?

The necessity for this variable load shedding originates from the combination of unscheduled malfunctions, which have taken a considerable 17,392MW out of action, and the 2,940MW that is offline for planned maintenance.

Power Stations: The Situation

Within the last day, single units at the Grootvlei, Hendrina, and Kriel stations have been returned to service. Conversely, a unit at Camden and two units at Arnot were decommissioned due to mechanical faults. Delays in returning units to service at several power stations, including Arnot, Camden, Hendrina, Kendal, Matimba, Matla, and Tutuka, further exacerbate the current capacity issues.

Eskom’s Response

Eskom’s team is devoting relentless effort to expedite the return of these generating units to service, ensuring power sustainability. They extended gratitude towards South Africans conscientious in their energy usage, particularly those who switch off geysers from 5pm to 9pm, aiding to ease strain on the power system and curtail escalating stages of load shedding.