Eskom warns of more load shedding this week
South Africans could be in for yet another week of rolling blackouts after Eskom warned of a constrained power grid.
It said on Monday that it would have to resort to load shedding this week if two power stations do not return to service.
Kusile and Kendal power stations are expected to come back online before the evening peak, but should there be a delay it would lead to a severely constrained grid.
"Should any of these units fail to return as expected, the power system will be severely constrained, presenting an increased probability of loadshedding at short notice," says spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha.
The power system has also been left vulnerable by delays to return units at Matimba, Lethabo, Hendrina and Tutuka power stations.
The cold weather has also led to increased demand.
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"The return to service of a generation unit each at Matimba and Lethabo, as well as two units each at Hendrina and three at Tutuka power stations have been delayed, increasing the evening peak constraints," adds Mantshantsha.
"The onset of winter has seen increased demand and this will lead to a constrained system, particularly during the morning and evening peaks, throughout the winter.”
Eskom currently has 3 049MW on planned maintenance, while close to 15 000 MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns.
Last week Eskom implemented stage 2 load shedding following breakdowns at several generation units.
Load shedding was suspended on Saturday afternoon.