Eskom ramps up rolling power cuts

Eskom is once again struggling to limit the severity of load shedding, announcing on Thursday that it has been forced to ramp up power cuts to stage 3 until at least Saturday.

The loss-making state-owned utility said the stage-3 cuts have become necessary due to plant breakdowns, which are now at 17.4GW of generating capacity.

This left it with no choice but to implement more severe stages of load shedding, it said. Stage 3 will continue until 5am on Saturday, after which it will be reduced to stage 2 (and stage 1 between 5am and 4pm on Sunday).

The utility blamed delays in returning to service four generating units, including Koeberg unit 1. “Approximately 4.7GW of generating capacity is anticipated to return to service by Sunday evening. Eskom teams are working tirelessly to ensure that this additional generating units are returned to service as soon as possible,” it said.

Eskom currently has 4.7GW of plant out on planned maintenance.  – © 2023 NewsCentral Media

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