Well well well, just as we expected, yesterday’s load-shedding announcement was all for nought. Eskom has announced stage 3 power cuts “until further notice.” Great, just what we needed.
Power to the people
Overnight saw breakdowns at the Kusile and Komati power stations, leading to an extension of stage 3 power cuts. Those breakdowns led to a delay in returning generating units at Duvha, Grootvlei, Kendal and two units at Tutuka power stations to the country’s power grid.
Stage 3 loadshedding will continue to be implemented until further notice. pic.twitter.com/xmeokAm7cL
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) October 20, 2022
The breakdowns overnight have left Kusile without a single generation unit producing electricity. Three of the four units at the station are completely out of action while the fourth has scheduled maintenance planned.
Currently, Eskom has 5,146MW scheduled for repairs, leaving a further 17,408MW currently unavailable.
Eskom has said it would release a more comprehensive statement “as soon as any significant changes occur.” Meaning a statement will probably be released later today once the Kendal and Kriel stations suffer further breakdowns. Here’s to hoping we’re wrong.
Read More: South Africa has plans to build EVs and get rid of 10 Eskom Power Stations
To keep you going through these tough times, you can check out Stuff’s load-shedding survival guide.