There is a high risk of rolling electricity blackouts in South Africa on Wednesday evening, state-owned power monopoly Eskom said in a statement.
“Eskom is currently not load shedding. However, the risk remains high for this evening but will only be implemented if absolutely necessary,” it said.
If rolling blackouts are implemented, they will happen in the peak period between 5pm and 9pm.
It blamed the fact that several of its generating units are “out on maintenance” and may not be restored in time to meet the evening peak demand.
“Eskom will advise if load shedding will be conducted in either stage 1, stage 2, stage 3 or stage 4, dependent on the capacity shortage,” it said.
Stage 1 requires 1GW to be load shed nationwide, while stage 2 requires 2GW. Stages 3 and 4 require 3GW and 4GW to be shed nationally. “Load shedding is conducted rotationally as a measure of last resort to protect the power system from a total collapse or blackout.”
It said customers should check the load-shedding schedules on the Eskom website or the websites of relevant municipalities where electricity is not supplied directly by the utility. — © 2018 NewsCentral Media
