Eskom is escalating load shedding to stage 4 on Wednesday, meaning it is cutting 4GW of supply from the grid, as it struggles with plant breakdowns.
It has suffered additional breakdowns at Medupi, where it has lost one unit, and Duvha, where two units have gone out of service, Eskom said in a statement.
Stage-4 load shedding will come into effect at 2pm and continue until 10pm, the utility said.
“This is in order to ration the remaining emergency generation reserves, which have been depleted,” it said. “These emergency reserves are required to respond to further emergencies in order to maintain the stability of the national grid.”
After 10pm on Wednesday night, Eskom will revert to stage-2 load shedding. The power cuts are expected to continue until at least Sunday night. — (c) 2021 NewsCentral Media