Stage 2 load shedding starts at 4pm

A shortage of generation capacity will see Eskom implement Stage 2 load shedding from 4pm on Tuesday to midnight.

Confirming the move in a statement on Tuesday, the power utility also warned that power cuts may continue during evening peak times on Wednesday and Thursday.

“The breakdowns of a single generation unit at Arnot Power Station and three at Tutuka Power Station during the last 24 hours, as well as the delays in returning units to service at Arnot, Kusile and Tutuka power stations have put a severe strain on the power generation system,” Eskom says.

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Eskom’s latest power alert comes after the utility warned South Africans on Monday evening that the return of rolling blackouts was on the cards.

At the time, the utility also blamed the need to implement load shedding on colder winter nights, which it says causes an uptick in demand for power.

“An increase in demand due to the cold front sweeping across the country has exacerbated the capacity constraints,” it said.

According to Eskom, 4 550 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity is currently out on planned maintenance, while a further 14 182MW remains offline due to unplanned breakdowns.

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