Eskom ramps up power cuts to stage 6
Eskom will implement stage 6 load shedding on Sunday following a trip at a generation unit each at Kusile and Kriel power stations.
This comes some 24 hours after struggling power utility ramped up power cuts to stage 5 due to a unit each at Kusile, Arnot and Camden, as well as two units at Duvha Power Station tripping.
While some generation units are anticipated to return to service, it is necessary to escalate the load shedding to stop the use of the emergency generation reserves and begin the replenishment thereof ahead of the week,” Eskom’s spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said.
“The emergency generation reserves have been depleted by extensive utilisation to limit the amount of load shedding over the past two weeks.”
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Energy expert Ted Blom says the move to a higher stage of load shedding was inevitable.
"Eskom has run out of emergency reserves and there is nothing more they can do, if there are more breaks down, then we can expect the level of load shedding to increase. In fact, Eskom has been understating the load shedding for the last week, they were saying it is stage 4 when in fact it was stage 5 load shedding during the week already.”
