Stage 4 load shedding continues

Eskom has announced that Stage 4 load shedding will resume this morning.

The load shedding is due to a shortage of generation capacity resulting from unplanned breakdowns, including Koeberg unit 1.

“The unit has been disconnected from the grid due to a fault on the turbine side. However, the nuclear reactor remains safe. The Seawater Circulating Water Pump was damaged, and it is expected that repairs will take a number of days before the unit can be brought back into operation,” Eskom said in its statement.

The loss of the approximately 930MW unit puts further strain on the generation fleet, necessitating an increase in the stage of load shedding.

“As the ageing fleet is currently constrained, unpredictable and vulnerable, we advise South Africans that the stage of load shedding may change at short notice, should there be any unexpected change in the generation system performance. Demand has also incrementally risen since January.

“It is only through partnership between Eskom and all stakeholders that we may soon emerge from these difficult times.

“We urge every South African to cooperate in managing electricity consumption with care to help us minimise load shedding. We thank you for your cooperation and understanding so far,” Eskom said.

Customers have been requested to continue to use electricity sparingly to assist Eskom to reduce demand, by using the following tips:

– Keep morning showers short to lessen the load during morning peak.

– Take food out of the freezer for dinner and put it in the fridge to thaw. It’ll save having to use the microwave to defrost it later.

– Set air conditioners’ average temperature at 23°C.

– Switch off geysers over peak periods.

– Unplug cellphone chargers before leaving the house.

– Use the cold water tap rather than using the geyser every time.

– Set the swimming pool pump cycle to run twice a day, three hours at a time.

– At the end of the day, turn off computers, copiers, printers and fax machines at the switch.

Customers can get their load shedding schedules on the Eskom website at https://loadshedding.eskom.co.za or local municipal websites, depending on their electricity supplier, to review amendments.