Eskom announces stage 6 power cuts until further notice
Eskom has announced continuous stage 6 load-shedding until further notice.
This is due to further delays in returning generating units to service at Kendal, Matla, and Matimba power stations.
In its update earlier today, Eskom said its breakdowns were at 16,784MW of generating capacity, while capacity offline for maintenance was 4,987MW.
The state-owned power utility escalated its level of load-shedding twice on Tuesday — first announcing stage 5 as four generating units broke down, then later issuing a timetable planning an alternating schedule of stage 5 and stage 6 for the rest of the week.
Eskom said that, besides the breakdowns, it needed to replenish its emergency generation reserves. It had also increased planned maintenance.
Although three generating units at Camden, Duvha and Kendal power stations were returned to service over the past 24 hours, four generating units at Duvha, Grootvlei, Kendal, and Matla power stations were taken offline for repairs.
Eskom said it anticipating an evening peak of 29,542MW and appealed to the public to reduce demand by switching off non-essential appliances.
On Monday, 11 September, the power utility increased load-shedding to stage 5 at 22:00 and returned to stage 4 at 05:00 on Tuesday.
At the time, Eskom said it was forced to increase load-shedding to replenish pumped storage dam levels during the night and to ensure it had sufficient emergency generation reserves.
Before that, the power utility upped load-shedding to Stage 4 at noon on Monday, following the breakdown of three generating units.
This was also shortly after Eskom announced it would follow an alternating schedule of stage 3 daytime load-shedding and stage 4 over the evening peak and early morning.
Its original plan was to reduce daytime load-shedding to stage 2 by Wednesday.
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