Eskom on Wednesday extended load-shedding Stage 2 to begin from 10 in the morning until midnight.
The power utility announcement that load-shedding “will regretfully be implemented between 10:00 and midnight tonight”.
Eskom added: “From Thursday until Sunday Stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented from 05:00 until midnight”.
The power utility said a generation unit at the Kendal and another at Matimba, as well as two units at the Matla Power Station broke down Wednesday morning.
“This reduced generation capacity by 2 400MW, adding to the ongoing capacity constraints,” said Eskom.
There has been a delay in returning to service a unit at Kusile Power Station, which was now expected to return to service Thursday.
“We currently have 3 630MW on planned maintenance, while another 15 277MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns,” said Eskom.
There is a likelihood that the stage of loadshedding might need to be increased during the evening peaks.
Eskom said it will continue to closely monitor the system, “adjust and communicate any changes as may be necessary”.
The struggling power utility cautioned that as the shortage of generation capacity persists, the system will continue to be constrained with an elevated risk of load-shedding over the coming weeks.
“We appeal to all South Africans to help limit the impact of the shortages by continuing to reduce the usage of electricity and to switch off all non-essential items,” said Eskom
“We therefore urge all South Africans to continue using electricity sparingly especially between 05:00 – 10:00 in the mornings and 16:00 – 22:00 in the evenings.”
