Eskom announces stage 6 power cuts
Eskom will increase load-shedding to stage 6 from 12:00 on Friday, 24 November 2023.
It will continue to implement the high level of power cuts until 05:00 on Monday, 27 November 2023.
In a statement at noon on Friday, the utility blamed the increased load-shedding on the loss of five generating units over the past 24 hours and the need to replenish emergency reserves.
“Unplanned outages are currently at 15,901MW of generating capacity, while the capacity out of service for planned maintenance is 5,822MW,” Eskom said.
The utility said it would continue to monitor the power system closely and communicate changes to load-shedding should it be required.
It forecasted evening peak demand of 27,206MW for Friday.
According to data tracked by EskomSePush, this is the first time that Eskom has implemented stage 6 load-shedding since 15 September 2023.
The latest bump to stage 6 comes after the utility was forced to ramp power cuts up to stage 4 earlier this week. That was also a first in over two months.
While the government has blamed the recent intensified load-shedding on an increase in planned maintenance, an analysis by Daily Investor showed this was not the case.
Eskom’s own data showed its planned capability loss factor stood at 4,830MW over the last three weeks, lower than it was in November 2020, November 2021, and November 2022.
SABC News reports that electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has warned that South Africans should expect load-shedding to continue throughout the coming festive season.
“There will be days where there is no load shedding but I think what is important is for us to prepare for a situation where the demand is intensified,” Ramokgopa said.
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