Eskom and Load shedding... An early morning picture taken at Matla Power Station in Mpumalanga Province. Picture: Dumisani Sibeko
Johannesburg – Power utility Eskom warns it could implement Stage 2 power cuts at short notice from 6pm on Monday night.
It said this was due to a shortage of generation capacity.
As a result, it was warning members of the public that if there were further breakdowns, it would pull the plug and start power cuts between 6pm and midnight.
Eskom spokesperson Sikhonathi Matshantsha said there were currently reported breakdowns of generating units at the Kriel, Majuba and Matla power stations, plus three units were down at Arnot.
He said there were also delays in the return to service of generating units at Kusile, Lethabo and Tutuka power stations.
Matshantsha said this had put a severe strain on the power generation system.
“An increase in demand due to the cold front sweeping across the country has exacerbated the capacity constraints.
“We currently have 4 508MW on planned maintenance, while another 13 622MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns,” he said.
Matshantsha said Eskom was urging all South Africans to use electricity sparingly, especially during these uncertain times on the power system.
He said Eskom would communicate accordingly should a need arise to start power cuts.
IOL
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