No load-shedding expected on Friday, and over the weekend, says Eskom

The risk of load-shedding in the next few days is low as there is enough capacity to meet the expected demand, power utility Eskom announced.

“The power system is showing improvement, with generation units performing better and the level of breakdowns slowly declining. Unplanned outages were at 11,374MW as at 6:00 this morning,” Eskom said in a statement.

The current performance of the system has allowed Eskom to preserve its emergency resources. “Our teams continue to work to reduce the incidents of breakdowns to below 9,500MW to increase available capacity and limit the risk of load-shedding,” said the statement.

On Thursday Eskom said its summer maintenance plan continued unabated, with two big units at Hendrina and Lethabo going on scheduled maintenance.

“A concerted collective effort to reduce demand can help to avoid or lessen the level of load-shedding. Consumers are advised to follow the recommendations.”

• Set air-conditioners’ average temperature at 23ºC
• Switch off geysers over peak periods
• Use the cold water tap rather than using the geyser every time
• Set your swimming pool pump cycle to run twice a day, three hours at a time for optimal energy use
• At the end of the day, turn off computers, copiers, printers and fax machines at the switch. Avoid standby or sleep mode