Eskom released this week’s loadshedding schedule, confirming its decision to escalate rotational outages to Stage 3. Here’s all you need to know.
UPDATE: Eskom escalated loadshedding to Stage 4 on Friday, 18 November 2022.
In a statement, 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 a statement, the national electricity supplier revealed that power outages would be escalated to Stage 3 from 16:00 on Monday, until 05:00 on Tuesday, 15 November 2022.
Previously, the state-owned energy supplier had been rotationally cutting power at Stage 2 loadshedding. However, in the statement released on Monday, the utility revealed the escalated outages were “due to the high level of breakdowns as well as the depleted emergency generation reserves.”
“Since Sunday morning a generating unit each at Duvha, Kriel and Tutuka power stations were taken offline for repairs while the delay in returning to service a unit each at Duvha and Majuba power stations have contributed to the delays,” the utility noted.
Despite four generating units returning to service at Grootvlei, Hendrina, Majuba, Matla and Medupi, Eskom was forced to take the necessary precautions and hike the loadshedding schedule to Stage 3, noting that on Monday, the energy supplier had “4 177MW on planned maintenance, while another 16 922MW of capacity [was] unavailable due to breakdowns.”
Consequently, South African households and businesses will have to endure periods of loadshedding escalated between Stage 3 and 2. Here is the official loadshedding schedule:
- Monday, 14 November 2022: Stage 3 loadshedding between 16:00 and 05:00 the next day.
- Tuesday, 15 November 2022: Stage 2 loadshedding from 05:00 until 16:00
- Tuesday, 15 November 2022: Stage 3 loadshedding from 16:00 until 05:00 the next day
- Wednesday, 16 November 2022: Stage 2 loadshedding until 16:00. Thereafter, Stage 3 until 05:00 the next day
- Thursday, 17 November 2022: Stage 2 loadshedding from 05:00 until further notice.
Eskom has yet to provide clarity on its plans to host a media briefing on Tuesday, where more direction will be given on the rest of this week’s schedule.
Readers from these metros can check the latest loadshedding schedule below: