No light at the end of the tunnel as Eskom announces load-shedding extension

12 October 2022 - 15:55 By TImesLIVE
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Load-shedding will continue on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, says Eskom. File photo.
Load-shedding will continue on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, says Eskom. File photo.
Image: SIPHIWE SIBEKO

The end of blackouts is not yet in sight as Eskom on Wednesday announced its updated load-shedding schedule. 

The power utility said stage 2 would be implemented on Wednesday and Thursday between 4pm and midnight. 

Friday would see stage 1 load-shedding. 

“To the extent possible, Eskom will endeavour to limit load-shedding to night-time to have minimal impact on the economy and population. Eskom will publish an update on Friday afternoon, or as soon as any significant changes occur,” the power utility said, indicating it was possible load-shedding could continue even through the weekend.

Eskom said since Tuesday, a generation unit each at Camden, Kriel, Kusile, Matla and Medupi power stations were returned to service but problems arose on other units. 

“Two generating units at Majuba and one at Tutuka power stations were taken offline for repairs. We now have 5,021MW on planned maintenance, while another 14,760MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns. Load-shedding is implemented only as a last resort in view of the shortage of generation capacity and the need to attend to breakdowns.”

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