Durban - State owned power utility company Eskom announced on Friday that stage 4 load shedding will be implemented from 10m on Friday until 5am on Saturday morning.
Eskom’s crisis communications manager Menzil Mngomezulu has confirmed this.
Stage 4 is when up to 4,000MW is shedded from the national power grid.
It comes as cold front sweeps through South Africa this weekend bringing icy temperatures and snowfall in parts of inner KwaZulu-Natal.
“Due to higher than anticipated demand, Stage 4 loadshedding will be implemented from 10:00 this morning until 05:00 on Saturday. Eskom will publish another update should any significant changes occur,” Mngomezulu said.
#LoadsheddingUpdate
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) July 21, 2023
Friday, 21 July 2023
Due to higher than anticipated demand, Stage 4 loadshedding will be implemented from 10:00 this morning until 05:00 on Saturday. Eskom will publish another update should any significant changes occur.
In a separate statement issued on Friday, Eskom said residents in parts of the Western Cape will be affected by electricity outages due to illegal connections and high electricity consumption because of the cold weather.
Residents in Blackheath, Bluedowns, Delft, Silversands, and the Khayelitsha suburbs of Bongweni, Kwezi, Thembani Site C were advised to switch off high consumption appliances during load shedding.
“Once electricity has been restored, customers should wait at least 30 minutes before switching on stoves, geysers, and pool pumps to avoid the possibl;e tripping of electricity.
“Eskom has several network strengthening projects under way in the affected networks,” it said.
Latest information from the utility indicates that Eskom’s availability is 29,245 MW with a total demand of 31,619 MW.
The utility said 4,312 MW of power is to be shed.
Evening Peak 20/07/2023
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) July 21, 2023
Eskom Availability: 29 245 MW
Total demand: 31 619 MW. 📈⚠️⚠️
Loadshedding: 4 312 MW
———————————
Number of OCGTs utilised:9
Renewable Generation: 2 342 MW
RES: Wind 2178 MW, CSP 164 MW and PV 0 MW
IPP Availability (Dispatchable): 1014 MW…
Meanwhile, Isaac Mangena, City Power Spokesperson urged electricity consumers in Joburg to lower their consumption by using electricity sparingly and always switching off all non essential appliances.
"Temperatures across Johannesburg have dropped significantly following another wave of cold front. As City Power, we have already started seeing a sharp increase in electricity demand, which always exerts unbearable pressure on our network and resources, he said in a statement.
According to the South African Weather Services, extreme cold weather conditions are expected to continue into the weekend.
"Over a week ago, inclement weather conditions coupled with highers stages of loadshedding - resulted in a number of our Substations tripping from overcurrent, particularly during peak hours. We urge customers to use electricity prudently to avoid facing similar outages for lengthier periods in these frosty conditions.
IOL