By Thys Khiba
Johannesburg – The power utility, on Tuesday, confirmed Stage 2 power cuts will start at 9am on Tuesday and continue until Saturday.
“Eskom regrets to announce that due to a shortage of generation capacity, Stage 2 loadshedding will be implemented from 09:00 today until 05:00 on Saturday,” the utility said in a statement.
According to Eskom the power cuts were due to a shortage of generation capacity.
“The capacity outlook for the period ending August 2022 shows that the power system remains constrained. Eskom will be required to extensively use the Open Cycle Gas Turbines to either avert load shedding or to reduce the magnitude thereof,” the utility said in a statement.
The power utility Spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshatsha, indicated that while Eskom teams have successfully returned a unit each at the Kusile, Matimba and Arnot power stations during the early hours of this morning, further delays in returning other units to service have exacerbated the capacity constraints, hampering the ability to replenish the emergency generation reserves.
“Eskom anticipates to return Koeberg Unit 1 to service during the weekend. Eskom also expects to return five other units to service during the week. However, there are number of generation units running with risk of failure that cannot be attended to at the moment due to the current capacity constraints,” the utility said in a statement.
The power utility continued to apologise for the inconvenience caused by the implementation of loadshedding, and requests the public to reduce the usage of electricity in order to help us through the constraints.
“Our objective is to achieve a reliable and sustainable generation plant, thereby reducing the risk and frequency of the occurrence of load shedding. As such, Eskom will not compromise on reliability maintenance and mid-life refurbishment,” Eskom Group Chief Operating Officer Jan Oberholzer said in a statement.
“However painful in the short term, this maintenance we have to do in order to ensure future reliability.
“We are aware that the increased maintenance does elevate the probability of load shedding in the short term, but this is necessary to improve the future performance of the generation fleet,” Oberholzer said.
He also said there was an “urgent need” for another 4,000MW to 6,000MW of generation capacity.
DO YOU HAVE A NEWS STORY OR AN OPINION FOR CENTRAL NEWS: E-mail us : newsroom@centralnews.co.za or Whatsapp us on 083 398 9119