Eskom released this week’s loadshedding schedule, confirming its decision to escalate rotational outages to Stage 5. Here’s all you need to know.
In a statement released on Friday, 18 November 2022, the power utility confirmed that breakdowns amounting to 17 056MW of generating capacity, along with “low pumped storage dam levels and lack of diesel,” are the reasons behind the decision to escalate loadshedding to Stage 4 indefinitely.
Loadshedding schedule for this week confirmed
In an updated statement released on Sunday, the national electricity supplier revealed that power outages would rotate between Stage 3 and 5 until Tuesday, 22 November 2022, with the view of lowering the blackout levels to Stage 2 later this week.
The power utility explained that heightened levels of loadshedding were prompted by “the absence of the buffer that is normally provided by diesel generation capacity between generating unit breakdowns.”
Moreover, Eskom added, the prolonged outages are, for the most part, mainly due to “high levels of breakdowns and the depleted emergency generation reserves.”
“Three units at Kusile Power Station are offline due to the duct (chimney structure) failure in late October and will remain offline for a few months while repairs to the chimney system take place. Unit 1 of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station will continue to generate at a reduced output over the next three weeks,” the utility explained.
Consequently, South African households and businesses will have to endure periods of loadshedding escalated between Stage 3 and 5. Here is the official loadshedding schedule:
- Monday, 21 November 2022:
- Stage 4 loadshedding between 10:00 and 16:00
- Stage 5 loadshedding between 16:00 and 00:00
- Tuesday, 22 November 2022:
- Stage 4 loadshedding from 00:00 until 05:00
- Stage 3 loadshedding from 05:00 until 16:00
- Stage 5 loadshedding from 16:00 until 00:00
- Wednesday, 23 November 2022:
- Stage 4 loadshedding from 00:00 until 05:00
- Stage 2 loadshedding from 05:00 until 16:00
- Stage 5 loadshedding from 16:00 until 00:00
Readers from these metros can check the latest loadshedding schedule below:
- City of Johannesburg
- City of Ekurhuleni
- City of Tshwane
- City of Cape Town
- Nelson Mandela Bay
- eThekwini
- Manguang
- Buffalo City