Power utility Eskom has announced a reduction in load shedding from Stage 6 to Stage 4, starting from 12pm on Sunday until 5am on Monday.

The country, already struggling with rolling blackouts, has experienced severe disruptions under Stage 6 load shedding.

Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena explained that the intense load shedding in recent days enabled the replenishment of emergency reserves at its pumped storage and Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) power stations.

As a result, load shedding will decrease to Stage 4 from 12pm Sunday until 5am Monday, and then shift to Stage 3 from 5am to 4pm on Monday.

Stage 4 load shedding will resume from 4pm Monday to 5am Tuesday. This alternating pattern between Stage 3 and 4 will continue daily until Thursday.

Mokwena emphasized that Eskom will monitor the power system closely and communicate any necessary changes.

Currently, unplanned outages have resulted in a loss of 15,386MW in generating capacity, while 5,617MW is unavailable due to planned maintenance.

Eskom anticipates approximately 2,500MW of capacity to return by Tuesday evening.

Eskom's teams are diligently working to restore additional generating units as quickly as possible.

The evening peak demand forecast stands at 25,989MW. Mokwena expressed gratitude to those conserving electricity, highlighting the impact of simple actions like turning off geysers and pool pumps from 5pm to 9pm in reducing demand and alleviating pressure on the power system, thereby contributing to lower stages of load shedding.

robin.francke@inl.co.za

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