Eskom Warns South Africans of ‘High Probability’ of Loadshedding

Eskom has ‘urged’ the South African public to reduce their usage of electricity as the system is severely constrained, with a “high probability of loadshedding”.

​The power utility said in a statement on Thursday evening:

While no loadshedding is anticipated, Eskom would like to warn the public there is a high probability of loadshedding should we lose any further capacity. In order to get through the evening peak, we urge the public to reduce the usage of electricity as the power system is severely constrained.

Eskom said the capacity shortage has been caused by the loss of multiple generation units and high load losses, in addition to generation units that are already placed in planned maintenance.

“We currently have 7 532MW on planned maintenance, while another 10 853MW of capacity is out on unplanned maintenance. Eskom teams are working around the clock to return as many of these units to service as soon as possible,” said the statement.

Eskom added: “We urge the people of South Africa to continue using electricity sparingly in order to assist Eskom to reduce the risk of loadshedding.”

Eskom Load Reduction Notice for parts of South Africa on Friday

Eskom on Thursday night also posted notice of load reductions (to avoid overloading) that will be implemented in certain parts of South Africa on Friday morning, 11 December 2020.

• 05h00 to 09h00 – parts of Benoni, Brakpan & Nigel, and Vosloorus. Details here.
• 06h00 to 09h00 – parts of Free State. Details here.
• 05h00 to 09h00 – parts of Mpumalanga. Details here.

Eskom said it is “battling to keep up with the increased equipment failure caused by overloading that is costing millions to repair”.

During the load reduction implementation, customers are encouraged to switch off all electrical appliances to avoid possible damage due to power surges when supply returns.