Kamogelo Muvhenzhe
It’s not a surprise but it certainly is an irritation. Not only has the cold weather put a strain on the power grid, but breakdowns have brought the supply system to its knees.
Eskom has announced stage 2 load shedding from 10am on Wednesday morning until 10pm on Friday.
In a statement, Eskom said the load shedding was due to further breakdowns of generating units at Kriel, Majuba and Arnot Tutuka power stations on Tuesday as well as delays in returning units to service at Arnot and Tutuka power stations.
They said the load shedding will also help to restore the emergency generation reserves that have been used extensively in the last few days.
Planned maintenance is responsible for 1,330 megawatts that are unavailable, while breakdowns account for a staggering 13,601 megawatts of capacity.
This round of load shedding comes at a time when temperatures are plummeting and snow is falling around the county.
Residents were warned by the South African Weather Services to brace themselves as the cold front moves up from the Eastern Cape, KZN and Eastern Free State this week.
