Stage-4 power cuts return to plague South Africa

Stage-4 load shedding has returned until further notice after four of Eskom’s coal-fired generating units could not be returned to service as planned.

The state-owned utility pushed the rolling blackouts from stage 3 to stage 4 at short notice in the early hours of Wednesday morning and said this stage would stay in force “until further notice”.

In a message posted to X (previously Twitter) at 3.02am on Wednesday, Eskom said: “Due to insufficient emergency reserves and generation capacity as a result of four units not returning to service as planned, stage-4 load shedding was implemented this morning at 2.31am until further notice. Eskom will monitor the system and communicate should any further significant changes occur.”

Read: South Africa to prioritise energy security over climate goals

Eskom has managed to reduce the intensity of load shedding in recent weeks, particularly following the return to service of units at the troubled Kusile power station.  – © 2023 NewsCentral Media

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