Eskom to implement load shedding again after multiple faults

South African state power company Eskom said it would implement scheduled power cuts starting at 11 a.m. local time (0900 GMT) on Friday, after multiple faults at its creaking fleet of coal-fired power stations.

The power cuts will be at the “Stage 2” level, which requires up to 2,000 megawatts to be shed from the national grid, but Eskom said in a statement that they could escalate.

Among the faults cited by Eskom, a unit at the Tutuka plant tripped, three Kendal units were taken off and a fourth was also expected to be shut down.

Power outages are a major constraint on economic growth in Africa’s most industrialised nation.