Eskom says no load shedding is expected on Sunday. The power utility says the generation system has improved with the successful return of a unit and adequate emergency reserves.
It has however reminded customers that the system remains constrained and vulnerable and has warned that it could implement load shedding at short notice.
Spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshatsha says,”We have had a generating unit coming back to service at the Medupi Power Station. Another two generating units are expected to get back to service later in the day. That, together with stabilised unplanned breakdowns has allowed us to carry on without actually implementing load shedding. We have our unplanned breakdowns at 10900 MegaWatts. Planned units are at 6-thousand MegaWatts” says Eskom’s spokesperson, Sikonathi Mantshatsha.
Announcement of no load shedding on Sunday
Date: 23 February 2020
No rotational loadshedding expected today, but the possibility remains if there are any shifts in the system@News24 @TimesLIVE @eNCA @iol @SABCNewsOnline @TheCitizen_News @SAfmRadio @POWER987News @ukhozi_fm @METROFMSA @ewnupdates pic.twitter.com/VccCFor7kc
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) February 23, 2020
Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe announced earlier in February that the country’s power utility Eskom faced two years of load shedding.
This in contrast to Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter saying that load shedding can be expected for the next 18 months as it catches up on maintenance.
Click below to watch a conversation with Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter:
Speaking on the second day of the debate on the State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament, Mantashe said the unreliable electricity supplier is the biggest threat in the economic growth of the country.
“Eskom demands above 31 000 megawatts. According to the power utility, we face at least two years minimum of potential load shedding.”
“The President mentioned the following measures; we will implement to address energy shortage; procurement of emergency power; the easing of requirements and process for generation for all use and enabling municipalities in good financial standing to buy their own power.”
Watch the debate on the President’s State of the Nation Address focusing on the power crisis:
Below is a video by Eskom explaining load shedding:
