Eskom warned on Thursday that it could be “forced” into load-shedding due to a severely strained power grid.
The power utility said the network was “under severe pressure after the loss of four generating units since this morning”. If implemented, the rotational power cuts are likely to be between 6pm and 9pm.
“A unit each at the Tutuka, Medupi and Majuba power stations tripped, while a unit at Lethabo has been taken offline to repair a boiler tube leak.
“While the system is performing relatively well, with no load-shedding being implemented, a further loss of generation capacity would force Eskom to implement load-shedding at short notice to protect the integrity of the system, particularly between 6pm and 9pm this evening,” Eskom said.
It said that breakdowns totalled 13,557MW, while planned maintenance meant 4,074MW of capacity was unavailable.
“Eskom is working to return as many of these units as possible, starting tonight. Eskom has not implemented load-shedding since July 22 due to some improvement in the performance of the generation fleet. Eskom urges the people of SA to help reduce electricity usage to ease the pressure on the system.”
TimesLIVE
