Eskom to ramp up power cuts over the weekend

Eskom will escalate rotating power cuts from Friday afternoon until Monday morning, citing the usual loss of generation capacity.

The stage-3 power cuts, which will require up to 3GW be shed from the grid, will last from 2pm on Friday until 5am on Monday, Eskom said.

Stage-2 cuts, which would require up to 2GW be shed, will be implemented throughout next week.

A record amount of electricity is set to be cut from the grid this year, constraining economic growth.

Read: Eskom cable thieves get up to 15 years in jail

Eskom’s ageing power stations run mostly on coal and are highly prone to faults.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government has tried to reform Eskom to make it more efficient, but progress has been slow.  — Bhargav Acharya, (c) 2022 Reuters

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