Stage 1 rotational load shedding resumes

Eskom says it will continue to implement Stage 1 rotational load shedding today owing to a shortage of capacity.

“We will provide an update this evening with regard to the load shedding prognosis for tomorrow and the week.

“Our teams are working hard to reduce unplanned outages or breakdowns, which were at 11 015MW as at 07:00 this morning. Critical maintenance continues to be conducted on units that are currently on planned outages,” Eskom said in a statement.

Customers are advised that any additional shifts on the system may require a change in the load shedding stage.

“We therefore request customers to use electricity sparingly and to reduce demand during this period. Eskom also wishes to remind South Africans that there is a possibility of load shedding over the next 18 months, as we are conducting critical maintenance to restore the ageing plant to good health,” Eskom said.

To assist in reducing the stage of load shedding, Eskom appeal to customers to use electricity sparingly:

• Set air-conditioners’ average temperature at 23ºC.

• Switch off your geysers over peak periods.

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

• Set your 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.

Eskom appealed to customers to revisit their load shedding schedules on the Eskom (https://loadshedding.eskom.co.za) or local municipal websites, depending on their electricity supplier, to review amendments.