- Several generating units are faulty.
- Eskom requests consumers to reduce power demand.
South Africa’s state-owned utility, Eskom, has informed that the power system is under severe pressure due to delays in returning generating units to service and multiple breakdowns at some power stations. The electricity supplier warned that although load shedding is currently not being implemented, this could change at short notice.
The utility noted, “Eskom requests the public to reduce electricity consumption as any further losses in generating capacity would force the implementation of load shedding. The loss of multiple generators over the weekend and delays in returning some generation units to service have made for a very constrained power system this afternoon.
“Load shedding is implemented only as a last resort to protect the national grid. We, therefore, request the public to continue using electricity sparingly to reduce the occurrence of load shedding,” Eskom said.
The power utility reported that unplanned breakdowns have accounted for the loss of at least 13,601MW of generating capacity, while planned breakdowns – or maintenance outages – account for at least 4,533MW in lost capacity.