Load shedding is still around, folks. And we’re still at stage 5 – which, as sad as it is, is still a blessing. A return to stage 6 was previously a possibility, though that doesn’t seem to be the case any longer. Anything can happen, though.
Including, apparently, improvements. Eskom has teased the possibility of a drop to stage 4, which would take place on Thursday if all goes to plan.
Eskom in the dark
Loadshedding will continue to be implemented at Stage 5, with a possibility of reducing a further stage by Thursday pic.twitter.com/f6ei2fRRqu
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) September 20, 2022
Over the last day, Eskom has managed to return seven generating units at its Camden, Kendal, Kriel, Kusile, Lethabo, and Majuba power stations.
With the good comes some bad. Eskom has also confirmed the loss of four new generating units, one each at the Arnot, Lethabo, Kendal, and Majuba power stations.
Read More: Eskom’s plan to potentially bring an additional 1GW to the grid
Despite the three extra units at Eskom’s disposal, the provider said it needed to keep the country at stage 5 to keep us from dipping into the emergency generation reserves. “The emergency generation reserves are severely constrained by extensive utilisation to supplement generation capacity,” the utility said.
As it stands, the power provider currently ascribes a lack of 4,098MW to ongoing maintenance. A further 17,121MW are unavailable for use due to unplanned breakdowns.