Power Strain Continues as Eskom Announces Indefinite Stage 2 LoadShedding

Eskom

Johannesburg – South Africans faced another blow on their daily routines as Eskom, the national power utility, has confirmed the initiation of Stage 2 loadshedding from 5am today, casting a shadow of unpredictability on the week ahead.

The country’s power supply has been under severe strain, with unexpected outages at several power stations contributing to the loss of a staggering 14 641MW of generating capacity. Additionally, routine maintenance has put a further 7 850MW out of operation.

An Eskom spokesperson, addressing the media on Sunday afternoon, outlined the dire circumstances: “Due to the loss of two generating units over the past 24 hours and the increase of planned maintenance as part of Eskom’s plan to improve its generation fleet reliability, Stage 2 load shedding will be implemented from 5am on Monday until further notice. Eskom will closely monitor the power system and provide an update should any significant changes occur.”

The situation’s severity is underscored by the diligent efforts of power station general managers and their teams, who are working tirelessly against the clock to restore capacity. “Eskom Power Station General Managers and their teams are working diligently to ensure that additional generating capacity is recovered by bringing units on unplanned outages and planned maintenance back to service as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said.

To roll back the darkness, there’s a silver lining promised by mid-week. “A total of 3 830MW of generating capacity is anticipated to return to service by Wednesday,” the power utility expressed with cautious optimism.

In a bid to mitigate the impact of load shedding, Eskom has issued a plea to the public, urging residents and businesses alike to curtail their energy consumption, especially during the late afternoon and evening when demand typically spikes. The utility emphasized the collective benefit of individual conservation efforts.

“We would like to thank those who heed the call to use electricity sparingly and efficiently, including switching off geysers and pool pumps from 5pm to pm or during load limiting. This lowers demand and helps alleviate the pressure on the power system, contributing to lower stages of load shedding,” Eskom stated as a reminder of the power each consumer has to influence the situation.