Eskom moves to stage 2 load shedding for the rest of the week – here is the schedule

[BusinessTech]

Eskom moves to stage 2 load shedding for the rest of the week – here is the schedule

Eskom has announced that stage 2 load shedding will be implemented from 14h00 on Wednesday (17 November) until 05h00 on Saturday (20 November).

 

[Gordon_R]

So this is like pre-emptive load shedding? We still have OCGT peaking capacity, but they are reluctant to use it in case things get worse!?

“Stage 2 load shedding will be implemented from 14h00 today until 05h00 on Saturday 20 November. This is to preserve the remaining emergency reserves at the OCGT and pump storage power stations in order to prevent higher stages of load shedding.

 

[Lupus]

So this is like pre-emptive load shedding, we still have OCGT capacity, but they are reluctant to use it in case things get worse!?

I think it's because they are taking more units off for planned outages this week and the weekend as well. So that will require the emergency reserves.

 

[Gordon_R]

I think it's because they are taking more units off for planned outages this week and the weekend as well. So that will require the emergency reserves.

This boggles the mind. It's like a schoolkid saying the dog ate my homework, but in any case the assignment wasn't due until tomorrow, and my sister is getting married in two weeks time, so I can't redo the work again next week. /S

 

[Lupus]

This boggles the mind. It's like a schoolkid saying the dog ate my homework, but in any case the assignment wasn't due until tomorrow, and my sister is getting married in two weeks time, so I can't redo the work again next week. /S

Well not really, they are doing it so we have resources to not further the stage of shedding I guess. As the demand is actually lower and the capacity is almost sufficient to cover it, but they'd still need about 13 OCTGS to give us the 2GW over.

 

[lived666]

I assume we still supplying neighbouring countries with electricity because their economies and citizens are much more important than ours.

 

[Lupus]

I assume we still supplying neighbouring countries with electricity because their economies and citizens are much more important than ours.

Ok people keep harping on about this... Show me where we're still exporting vasts amount of electricity out of SA? If we do it's when we have surplus, otherwise they get curtailed as well. In fact we import 1600MW from Mozambique, that's more then we export.
The only external exports are from Arnot and Camden which total 950 and thats for smelters in Mozambique for some reason.

 

[PhireSide]

Ok people keep harping on about this... Show me where we're still exporting vasts amount of electricity out of SA? If we do it's when we have surplus, otherwise they get curtailed as well. In fact we import 1600MW from Mozambique, that's more then we export.
The only external exports are from Arnot and Camden which total 950 and thats for smelters in Mozambique for some reason.

Are our imports from Cahora Bassa?

 

[Gordon_R]

Well not really, they are doing it so we have resources to not further the stage of shedding I guess. As the demand is actually lower and the capacity is almost sufficient to cover it, but they'd still need about 13 OCTGS to give us the 2GW over.

I understand that, but they are never clear about which of the multiple constraints they are trying to deal with: Baseload, peaking power, pumped storage, renewables, grid-stability, costs, predictability, PR, industrial users, etc. They have never been very transparent, but the variety of BS each time, feels like they are treating us with contempt.

My point boils down to: Is it really better to be on Stage 2 for a whole week, rather than risk a few hours of Stage 4 during peak hours if another unit trips?

 

[Lupus]

Are our imports from Cahora Bassa?

Yup they are

 

[Lupus]

I understand that, but they are never clear about which of the multiple constraints they are trying to deal with: Baseload, peaking power, pumped storage, renewables, grid-stability, costs, predictability, PR, industrial users, etc. They have never been very transparent, but the variety of BS each time, feels like they are treating us with contempt.

My point boils down to: Is it really better to be on Stage 2 for a whole week, rather than risk a few hours of Stage 4 during peak hours if another unit trips?

This part I don't get you're right, why do we need to be on stage 2 24/7? In the past it would be from 5am to 10pm or something to give a break, now we are basically stage 2 from the start, it's like Stage 1 doesn't exist either, as they never seem to be 1GW short always 2.

 

[Mystic Twilight]

So this is like pre-emptive load shedding? We still have OCGT peaking capacity, but they are reluctant to use it in case things get worse!?

Stage 2 is probably deemed as an acceptable level between costs+capacity vs load shedding tolerance. Probably think that if they ran the ocgt with current reserves they can get load shedding to zero, but if something breaks before additional reserves or units come online and once the current reserves are finished it could be load shedding stage 4+, which could be anything between a day to a week dependent on units coming back.

 

[mojoman]

Lol....success stories....Lots of them.....

 

[Mystic Twilight]

This part I don't get you're right, why do we need to be on stage 2 24/7? In the past it would be from 5am to 10pm or something to give a break, now we are basically stage 2 from the start, it's like Stage 1 doesn't exist either, as they never seem to be 1GW short always 2.

Feels like a buffer to prevent cascade failure, give them breathing room in case something else breaks and they don't need to scramble to increase the stages (and maybe they know if one thing breaks then another is soon to follow), though it seems to imply that their response is either slow or the buffer margins are really narrow.

 

[Gordon_R]

This part I don't get you're right, why do we need to be on stage 2 24/7? In the past it would be from 5am to 10pm or something to give a break, now we are basically stage 2 from the start, it's like Stage 1 doesn't exist either, as they never seem to be 1GW short always 2.

It's probably a contractual thing, as soon as Stage 2 is declared, industrial customers have to constrain their usage by a large amount, and plan accordingly. This gives a lot more flexibility in managing residential demand, which has more pronounced daily peaks. This may be good PR for the public, but whether it's a sensible economically is another matter. Filling up pumped storage during daylight (in addition to overnight) may seem odd, but perhaps it is the only way to manage the twice daily demand peaks of domestic users.