Possibility of load shedding increases

Eskom says the possibility of load shedding has increased, as a belt that feeds the Medupi units snapped on Wednesday.

“Last night [Wednesday], a conveyor belt feeding coal into the Medupi generation units failed, increasing the risk of load shedding. This means the four generations units in service are able to take in the requisite amount of coal to generate electricity. This puts further strain on Eskom’s ability to fully supply electricity over the next 24 hours,” Eskom said in a statement.

While Eskom teams are working round the clock to repair the conveyor belt, which is expected to take the part of the day, the utility warned that any further breakdown elsewhere in the generation fleet would necessitate the implementation of stage 2 load shedding at short notice.

“Eskom will continue to communicate should there be any further changes, as the system remains unreliable and vulnerable. We urge the people of South Africa to continue using electricity sparingly in order to assist Eskom to avoid the implementation of load shedding,” Eskom said.