Stage 2 loadshedding returns from 16:00

Power utility Eskom says it will implement Stage 2 loadshedding from 16:00 until midnight on Wednesday and Thursday, as the utility is struggling with generation capacity during the evening peak periods.

This latest return of rolling blackouts comes after a few weeks’ reprieve from Eskom’s worst bout of loadshedding, which saw consumers without power for up to 10 hours a day under Stage 6.

“The delay in returning a generation unit to service each at Arnot, Koeberg and the Kusile power stations, as well as the unplanned outage of a generation unit each at Camden, Medupi and two units each at Grootvlei, Hendrina and Majuba power stations, have exacerbated the capacity constraints,” Eskom says in a power alert.

The utility expects to see a normalisation of generation capacity within the next few days.

According to Eskom, there is currently 2 931 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity offline due to planned maintenance, while a further 15 051MW is lost due to capacity breakdowns.

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