Just when we thought we were getting a much-needed reprieve from load shedding, Eskom warned us to not rule out the possibility of its return.
Load shedding could return – Here’s why
South Africans have been living under nerve-wracking conditions lately. If it is not the worry of contracting the deadly coronavirus (Covid-19), it’s worrying about a power surge due to load shedding.
In the past week, rolling blackouts were implemented at stage 1 and 2, a result of breakdown at various power plants. While on Thursday there is no confirmed power cuts schedule, Eskom has warned that this may be shortlived.
“Last night, a conveyor belt feeding coal into the Medupi generation units failed, increasing the risk of load shedding. This means the four generation units in service are not able to take in the requisite amount of coal to generate electricity. This puts further strain on Eskom’s ability to fully supply electricity over the net 24 hours,” the power utility said in a statement.
What stage will be implemented if power cuts return?
The only positive to pull from this is that there are technicians working extended hours to repair the conveyor belt. The repair work is expected to be concluded on Thursday. However, the power utility warned, “any further breakdown elsewhere in the generation fleet would necessitate the implementation of stage 2 rolling blackouts at short notice.”
“We urge the people of South Africa to continue using electricity sparingly in order to assist Eskom to avoid the implementation of load shedding,” the statement concluded.
South Africans are advised to consult their community’s respective load shedding schedule for information on times stage 2 power cuts would be implemented in their area.
Until then, all we can do is sit tight and hope that no further blunders are reported from Eskom’s power generation plants.