Eskom announces Stage 2 load shedding from 9pm

Power utility, Eskom has announced Stage 2 load shedding from 21:00 on Wednesday evening until 08:00 Thursday morning.

Eskom says it is implementing evening load shedding rather than during the day to minimise the impact on the economy.

Eskom says the load shedding is to allow for replenishment of reserves like diesel and coal.

Eskom has a near-monopoly when it comes to power generation.

Many energy experts have appealed to the government to allow independent power producers – including private homes – to contribute more power to the grid using renewable sources like solar and wind.

Eskom spokesperson Dikatso Mothae says, “The system remains under strain and is very unpredictable. In order to replenish our emergency reserves, we had to use the capacity during the day today. We are going to implement Stage 2 load shedding overnight, so that we can replenish those reserves, in order to have the maximum possible capacity for tomorrow’s demand.”