Eskom will resume Stage 2 load shedding at 9am on Saturday morning after suspending it at 10pm on Friday night. The power utility implemented load shedding for the first time on Friday since the beginning of the lockdown in March after a number of generation units broke down.
Three units have been successfully returned to service, reducing breakdowns to over 2000 megawatts of capacity.
Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha says it is still necessary to load shed.
“Even though some of the units are expected back in service tonight (Friday evening), continuing with load shedding tomorrow (Saturday) is necessary in order to replenish the emergency generation reserves to better prepare for the coming week. Due to the much colder weather, demand for electricity has risen significantly. Three of the six generation units contributing to the earlier breakdown have been successfully returned to service. We still have breakdowns at Arnot, Kendal, Tutuka and the Majuba power stations,” explains Mantshantsha.
We are experiencing multiple cable faults in the Horison Park area following a trip at Ontdekkers Substation. More information attached below?^GR pic.twitter.com/5kpfuqaV2Q
— @CityPowerJhb (@CityPowerJhb) July 10, 2020
On Friday, Mantshantsha said that the constrained supply may persist throughout this weekend.
Meanwhile, Eskom has urged customers to use electricity sparingly.
In this video below SABC News reports that Eskom will implement stage 2 load shedding:
