Eskom implemented stage-two loadshedding from 4pm on Thursday due to higher-than-anticipated electricity demand and planned maintenance.
This round of rolling power cuts, according to the state-owned power utility, will last until 5am on Friday.
“Despite significant progress in our generation recovery efforts, higher-than-expected electricity demand, the loss of generation units, and extensive planned maintenance have placed strain on the system.
“As a result, stage-two loadshedding will be implemented from 4pm today [Thursday] and will remain in effect until 5am tomorrow [Friday],” Daphne Mokwena, the Eskom spokesperson, said in a media statement.
Consumers urged to use electricity sparinglly
Given the ongoing constraints, the power utility urged the public to use electricity sparingly to help reduce pressure on the grid.
“Eskom sincerely apologises for the inconvenience [caused] and will continue to provide updates as necessary.”
The last time the country experienced loadshedding was from March 19 to March 20, when Eskom implemented stage-two power cuts.
At the time Eskom said: “While we have made notable progress in our generation recovery efforts, Eskom faced the loss of five generation units before the peak period. Consequently, stage-two loadshedding was implemented at 6.25pm [March 19] and will remain in effect until 5am [March 20].
“We continue to prioritise planned maintenance to strengthen system reliability ahead of the winter months while ensuring adherence to environmental and licensing conditions.
“In light of the ongoing system constraints, we urge the public to use electricity sparingly.”
2 700 megawatts lost in March
Prior to that, Eskom implemented stage-three loadshedding from March 7 until March 10. It attributed the March loadshedding to a loss of 2 700 megawatts within 14 hours.
These included Koeberg Unit 2, which was taken offline and two Kusile units whose coal operations went sub-optimal following an adverse weather in Mpumalanga.
Mokwena said at the time: “Higher levels of planned maintenance outages, aimed at winter preparation and meeting regulatory and environmental licensing requirements, are still underway.
