Eskom ramps up to Stage 4 load shedding

Eskom has announced that Stage 4 load shedding will be implemented between 17:00 and 22:00 on Monday.

This, despite the ailing parastatal saying it will only implement Stage 3 load shedding for two days.

In a statement, the power utility said that the reason they ramped up a stage higher is due to Unit 2 of the Kusile Power Station that tripped earlier the afternoon, taking 720MW of generating capacity with it.

‘’While this unit has since returned to service, it will slowly load up to full capacity during the night.’’

It said that a generating unit at Hendrina, Tutuka and Kriel power stations were returned to service on Monday morning, while a unit each at Arnot Power Station was taken offline for repairs.

‘’Eskom appeals to all South Africans to help limit the impact of loadshedding by reducing the usage of electricity and to switch off all non-essential items.’’

‘’Eskom would like to remind the public that loadshedding is implemented only as a last resort to protect the national grid. We therefore urge all South Africans to continue using electricity sparingly especially between 05:00 – 09:00 in the mornings and 16:00 – 22:00 in the evenings,’’ it added.

The power utility said that it will revert to Stage 3 on Tuesday.

The City of Cape Town says its customers will load shed on Stage 3 on Monday.

 

PICTURE: Pixabay

Done By: Mitchum George