Stage 2 load shedding to continue until Thursday | Fin24

Eskom said it expects some of the generating units should return to service in the next few days.

• Stage 2 load shedding will continue until Thursday morning, Eskom announced on Friday evening.
• Load shedding will start at 21:00 on Friday night, 24 hours a day.
• Breakdowns currently amount to 14 760 MW, while planned maintenance has taken 5 200 MW of capacity out of the system.

Load shedding will start on Friday night at 21:00 and continue during the next week until 05:00 on Thursday, Eskom announced on Friday evening. The load shedding will take place 24 hours a day.

On Thursday, after 77 days without load shedding, Eskom announced that it would resume stage 2.

Breakdowns currently amount to 14 760 MW, while planned maintenance has taken 5 200 MW of capacity out of the system.

“Whilst still recovering four units at Tutuka, which had experienced conveyor belt failures, the fleet suffered a cluster of boiler tube leaks within a short period of time,” Eskom said in a statement.

“That really is the reason for the continued load shedding,” Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said.

“This load shedding is also necessary to address other additional risks in the generation fleet.”

There have also been breakdowns of a generating unit each at Kusile, Komati and Hendrina power stations.

“The return of a generating unit at Majuba power station today provided some relief, however, this was insufficient to curb the extensive use of emergency reserves.”

The combined plant outage adds up to just under half of Eskom’s coal power station fleet, according to energy commentator at EE Publishers, Chris Yelland.

“It is very severe. We have not had this kind of simultaneous breakdowns in a little while. We are in a situation now where we can expect intermittent load shedding for a couple of years now, until new generation capacity comes on stream.”