Eskom has announced that there is a high probability of load-shedding this weekend and has requested that South Africans use less power to help the electricity grid.
“Eskom requests the public to reduce electricity usage as the power generation system is severely constrained this evening and throughout the weekend,” tweeted Eskom.
“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.
Eskom said it currently has 7,452MW on planned maintenance, while a further 11,035MW is out due to unplanned maintenance.
The national electricity provider said it is working around the clock to return units to service as soon as possible.
“We urge the people of South Africa to continue using electricity sparingly in order to assist Eskom to reduce the risk of load-shedding,” said Eskom.
Unexplained outages
This announcement follows Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshansha confirming on The Money Show that Eskom’s system is under strain.
Manthsansha said earlier today that the national electricity provider was using all of its diesel generators and hydro storage facilities in an attempt to avoid load-shedding.
At the time, just under 11,000MW worth of power generation units had broken down.
Eskom request the public to reduce the usage of electricity as the system is severely constrained, with a high probability of loadshedding pic.twitter.com/knDFZKxlPc
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) December 11, 2020
Mantshansha said nobody can explain why so many generation units break down at the same time.
“The reality is that we have these breakdowns, and that you will find a reason here, and a reason there,” Mantshansha said. Mantshansha could also not give a deadline for when Eskom expects the lost capacity to come back online.
“We are working hard to ensure we see the back of these constraints over the next few days and the system gets back to normal,” Mantshansha said.
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Source: mybroadband