South Africans face the grim reality of potential stage 2 load shedding, as Eskom issues an urgent alert about rolling blackouts that could occur on short notice.
On Monday, Daphne Mokwena, spokesperson for Eskom, confirmed that the power system is under severe strain following the breakdown of several generation units.
“Over the past 12 hours, six generation units have been taken offline, placing severe strain on the power system and requiring the use of emergency reserves,” Mokwena explained during a media briefing.
The critical situation has prompted Eskom to prepare for possible load shedding. Mokwena cautioned that if an additional 800 megawatts is lost, the power utility will be forced to resort to implementing stage 2 load shedding.
“We are actively working to return seven generation units to service between the evening peak and Tuesday evening,” she said, offering a glimmer of hope amid a challenging period for the organisation.
As the situation evolves, Eskom teams are closely monitoring the power supply and demand. Mokwena assured the public that further updates will be shared by 10pm on Monday, or sooner if developments arise that necessitate immediate communication.
This announcement comes as the nation continues to battle the ongoing energy crisis, which has seen frequent power shortages over the past few years.
Meanwhile, energy experts have raised concerns about the reliability of Eskom’s energy supply after the power utility unexpectedly implemented load shedding recently following the loss of five generation units.
The announcement last week marked Eskom’s fourth load shedding declaration this year, leading to significant disruption during peak energy demand hours.
Professor Vally Padayachee, energy expert and former Eskom generation executive manager, said that Eskom had, prior to the last four load shedding declarations, made reasonable progress in their generation recovery efforts.
“However, it faced on Wednesday the loss of five generation units before the evening period. The loss of five generating units before and during this Wednesday evening peak period necessitated the implementation of Stage 2 load shedding for 10-and-a-half hours overnight,” he said.
sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za
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