Rustenburg - Stage 2 load shedding will be implemented continuously until further notice, Eskom said on Friday.
The electricity supply utility said this was due to the breakdown of six generating units at five power stations.
“Owing to the breakdown of six generating units at five power stations, the need to conserve emergency generation reserves, as well as the delay in returning to service numerous generating units, Eskom will implement continuous Stage 2 load shedding from 4pm until further notice,” Eskom said in a statement.
A further update would be provided as soon as there were any significant changes.
“A generating unit each at Duvha, Grootvlei, Hendrina, Majuba and two units at Arnot power station, were taken off-line for repairs over the past 24 hours. The delay in returning to service two generating units at Camden and one unit each at Arnot and Duvha power stations contributed to the capacity constraints.
“A generating unit each at Kriel and Matla power stations were returned to service during this period,” it said.
Eskom said due to the depletion of the budget to acquire diesel for the Open Cycle Gas Turbines, Eskom has been forced to strictly conserve the fuel for the direst of emergencies.
“We currently have 4 423MW on planned maintenance, while another 16 708MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns.
“The imminent refuelling and maintenance outage, as well as the long-term operation project of Unit 1 of the Koeberg Nuclear power station, together with the October chimney failure that has forced three generation units off-line at Kusile power station, will further reduce available generation capacity and significantly increase the occurrence of load shedding during the next 6 -12 months,” it said.
Eskom said load shedding was implemented only as a last resort in view of the shortage of generation capacity and the need to attend to breakdowns.
“Eskom requests the public to exercise patience and tolerance during this difficult period.
IOL