Eskom confirms the grid was close to stage 8

Eskom has confirmed the grid was close to stage 8 blackouts this week. On Wednesday, the power utility confirmed it had dipped into the zone for stage 7.

The power utility says they have not yet introduced higher stages of power cuts and are currently assessing the situation.

Eskom says it has seen changes in demand patterns with high consumption in certain areas.

Eskom’s General Manager of Engineering, Thomas Conradie, says they will not introduce stage seven or eight without notifying the public.

He says stage 6 will be maintained into the weekend.

“We are just updating our schedules for higher stages of load shedding. We obviously from our side attempt every means of not reverting towards that stage. I must say that we were close to that earlier this week, it is finally balanced in terms of a number of factors, and therefore we need to manage it closely. At this stage, we don’t foresee going to stage eight but we need to also be responsible and ensure that those schedules are clear if the situation forces us there.”