Eskom will impose stage-4 power cuts from 2pm on Monday until 5am on Saturday as the state-owned utility again grapples with severe load shedding.
Eskom had reduced the cuts to stage 3 during workhours on Monday after it imposed stage-6 interruptions from Friday to Sunday.
It blamed increasing demand for the latest intensification. This was combined with “insufficient generating capacity and the need to manage the emergency reserves”.
“Unplanned outages increased slightly from 15.39GW to 15.42GW of generating capacity, while the capacity out of service for planned maintenance increased from 5.62GW to 6.28GW. Eskom’s load forecast for the evening peak demand is 28.12GW.”
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Eskom pleaded with the public not to use high-energy equipment during the evening peak from 5pm to 9pm to reduce the strain on the system. This includes switching off pool pumps and geysers.
The company has imposed rolling blackouts on the South African economy on and off for the past 16 years, though the situation has deteriorated markedly in the last year. – © 2023 NewsCentral Media