The light at the end of the Eskom tunnel could fail completely

Kamogelo Olaitan

As stage 2 load shedding continues to plague the people of South Africa, Eskom has warned of higher stages as the approaching winter has seen an increase in demand.

The power utility said winter will lead to severe capacity constraints throughout the season especially during the morning and evening peaks.

“This would generally require the implementation of load shedding during the evening peaks,” Eskom said.

On Tuesday morning, Eskom announced that stage 2 load shedding will be implemented from 5pm to 10pm with the possibility of higher stages should any breakdowns occur during the day.

“Since Monday evening, a unit each at Arnot, Grootvlei and Matla power stations either tripped or were taken offline for repairs. At the same time two units were returned to service – one each at Kriel and Grootvlei power stations,” Eskom said in a statement.

“We currently have 3,049MW of planned maintenance, while another 15,762MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns.”

Eskom said a generation unit each at the Kusile and Arnot power stations are expected to return to service on Tuesday afternoon.

Eskom has urged South Africans to continue using electricity sparingly, especially between 5am to 9am and 4pm to 10pm.