Share

Eskom: System stable, load shedding risk low

Johannesburg - The chances of power cuts being implemented on Thursday are minimal, electricity supplier Eskom said.

"Today's risk of load shedding is minimised, it looks like the system is relatively stable," spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe said.

"If some of the generators break down, it will put us under strain again."

Eskom ended stage one of rolling power cuts at 14:00 on Wednesday, after it had initially announced that power cuts would be implemented from 10:00 until 22:00 to manage dam levels at its pumped storage schemes.

"The reason that load shedding was lifted yesterday was that some of the generators were back in operation," Phasiwe said.

He also thanked customers for heeding the call and reducing their energy consumption.

With it currently being Eskom's maintenance season, the power utility expected the power grid to remain constrained for the rest of the summer.

READ: Power supply tight for rest of summer

Eskom said the intensified power cuts were necessary because of a shortage of generator capacity. A number of generators were being repaired by technicians.

"At our pumped storage schemes (which use water to generate electricity), the dam levels are low because we were not able to pump the water back to full capacity over the weekend," it said on Tuesday afternoon.

This was because Eskom had to use its pumped storage schemes over the weekend to meet demand.

"Ordinarily, the weekends are used to pump our dam levels to maximum capacity in preparation for the forecasted increased demand in electricity during the week."

READ: Inside Eskom's War Room

If Eskom continued generating enough capacity on Friday and the rest of the weekend, there would be no power cuts.

"But if there is an increase in demand that we are unable to supply, then we may have to implement some form of load shedding," he said.

NOW READ: Eskom warning system not adequate - Seifsa
                    Load shedding uncertainty rocks KZN businesses

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.15
-0.7%
Rand - Pound
23.82
-0.6%
Rand - Euro
20.39
-0.5%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.30
-0.5%
Rand - Yen
0.12
-0.6%
Platinum
950.40
-0.3%
Palladium
1,028.50
-0.6%
Gold
2,378.37
+0.7%
Silver
28.25
+0.1%
Brent Crude
87.29
-3.1%
Top 40
67,190
+0.4%
All Share
73,271
+0.4%
Resource 10
63,297
-0.1%
Industrial 25
98,419
+0.6%
Financial 15
15,480
+0.6%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders