Eskom warns of load shedding at short notice

Eskom on Tuesday morning warned that it may be forced to implement load shedding at short notice as the power system is “severely constrained”.

Breakdowns
In statement, Eskom said load shedding could be implemented should any further breakdowns occur.

“While no load shedding has been implemented at this stage, Eskom requests the public to reduce the usage of electricity as the power system is severely constrained.

“Load shedding may be required at short notice should any further generation breakdowns occur, or should some of the generating units not return to service as expected,” the power utility said.

The power utility also pointed out that some of its units at two stations tripped despite some returning to service at other stations.

“Over the past 24 hours Eskom teams returned a generation unit each at Camden, Kendal and Medupi power stations.

“[In] the same period two generation units, one at Arnot and another at Hendrina, tripped while a unit each at Arnot and Lethabo were forced to shut down,” it added.

Breakdowns currently totalled 15,852MW, while planned maintenance is 4,036MW of capacity.

“Eskom would like to remind customers and the public that loadshedding is implemented as a last resort to maintain the stability of the power system.

“We would like again to apologise for the inconvenience caused to the people of South Africa by the constraints.

“Eskom requests the public to continue using electricity sparingly, and will communicate promptly should there be any significant changes to the power system.”

On Friday, load shedding was suspended after several units that had problems during the week came back to service.

Election results count
Meanwhile, there was no load shedding on Monday as the country went to the polls to vote.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) had indicated on Sunday that it was hoping the lights would stay on at its results operation centre (ROC) in Tshwane following a power failure over the weekend.

According to Jacaranda FM, IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo, however, said the centre had generators.

“We do have generators on site but those generators distribute via distribution box so we do have the City of Tshwane’s electricity department on site.

“We do have electricians from our service providers and we do have Eskom on site, so that we are able to react a lot quicker than was the case yesterday,” Mamabolo said.

Expect load-shedding this summer
Last week Monday, Eskom executives briefed the media on the state of the power system, and warned that South Africans should expect a number of days of load shedding this summer.

Eskom’s chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer said they were prioritising their reliability maintenance programme, which was not a one-off but ongoing.

“Our generation business remains a concern, mainly due to its age and a legacy of poor maintenance,” Oberholzer said.

-The Citizen

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