Eskom load-shedding reprieve

Eskom will suspend stage 2 load-shedding from 21:00 on Thursday, and implement stage 1 rotational power cuts from 05:00 to 21:00 on Friday, 19 November.

The power utility said its teams have successfully returned eight generating units to service over the past 24 hours.

“This together with load-shedding has allowed us to recover the dam levels at the pump storage stations and suspend load-shedding at 21:00 tonight.”

Unfortunately, diesel tank levels at three of the four open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) power stations remain low, which is why stage 1 load-shedding is still necessary on Friday.

“A unit each at Camden, Komati, Majuba, Tutuka, Matla and Medupi power stations, as well as two units at Matimba Power Station were returned to service,” Eskom stated.

“One generating unit at Duvha Power Station was taken out of service for boiler tube leak repairs.”

Total breakdowns currently amount to 15,605MW while planned maintenance is 3,604MW of capacity.

The announcement comes after Eskom CEO André de Ruyter briefed media on Thursday morning and said that they hoped to give South Africans a reprieve from load-shedding tonight.

“At this point in time, the outlook for the rest of the weekend is quite stable as long as nothing else goes awry,” De Ruyter said.

Eskom implemented stage 2 load-shedding from 14:00 on Wednesday due to a shortage of capacity brought on by multiple units tripping or being taken offline for boiler tube leak repairs.

It originally anticipated stage 2 would be required until 05:00 on Saturday to preserve the remaining emergency reserves at its OCGT and pump storage power stations, and prevent higher stages of load-shedding.

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