Stage 4 load-shedding announced by Eskom

Widespread power cuts will be imposed on Monday, with Eskom announcing that stage 4 load-shedding will be implemented from 10am to 11pm.

Stage 2 load-shedding was announced earlier on Monday.

Eskom said the situation had worsened, with an “additional loss of units at our power stations”.

Earlier, Eskom warned that the probability of load-shedding for the rest of the week remained high.

“We continue to ask customers to reduce demand as a concerted collective effort can help to avoid or lessen the level of load-shedding.”

The power utility stated in a previous advisory note that stage 1 allowed for up to 1,000MW of the national load to be shed, stage 2 up to 2,000MW, stage 3 up to 3,000MW and stage 4 up to 4,000MW.

The higher the stage, the higher the frequency of load-shedding.

In most instances, load-shedding was implemented in two-hour blocks. However, in Eskom-supplied Johannesburg areas, blocks are four hours long to coincide with City Power’s four-hour schedule.

In general, said Eskom, stage 1 required the least amount of load-shedding – three times over a four-day period for two hours at a time or three times over an eight-day period for four hours at a time.

Stage 2 was double the frequency of stage 1, which meant electricity users were scheduled for load-shedding six times over a four-day period for two hours at a time or six times over an eight-day period for four hours at a time.

Stage 3 increased the frequency of Stage 2 by 50%, meaning South Africans were scheduled to be load-shed nine times over a four-day period for two hours at a time or nine times over an eight-day period for four hours at a time.

Stage 4 doubled the frequency of Stage 2, meaning load-shedding 12 times over a four-day period for two hours at a time or 12 times over an eight-day period for four hours at a time.

Each of the time periods had an additional 30 minutes added to allow for switching of networks in a way that would not damage the power system.

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