[UPDATED] Stage 3 load shedding implemented for the weekend
"The system is vulnerable and things can change very quickly because just one generating unit makes such a big difference when you have such a thin buffer."
Eskom says stage 3 load shedding will be in effect on Saturday until Monday morning.
In an announcement on Friday night, Eskom's Sikonathi Sikonathi Mantshantsha said they regretted the inconvenience caused by moving to Stage 2 load shedding.
However, on Saturday morning, this was escalated to Stage 3.
ALSO READ: Find your load shedding schedules here
#POWERALERT 1
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) February 15, 2020
Date: 15 February 2020
Stage 3 rotational loadshedding will be implemented from 09:00 today until 05:00 on Monday @SABCNewsOnline @IOL @eNCA @ewnupdates @TimesLIVE @News24 @TheCitizen_News @Moneyweb @TheSAnews @SAgovnews @SaturdayStar @SowetanLIVE pic.twitter.com/PJoCtc8n3Z
#POWERALERT 3
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) February 14, 2020
Date: 14 February 2020
Stage 2 rotational loadshedding will be implemented from 21:00 tonight until 06:00 on Sunday @SABCNewsOnline @eNCA @IOL @WitnessKZN @ewnupdates @SowetanLIVE @News24 @Fin24 @City_Ekurhuleni @CityTshwane @CityPowerJhb @eThekwiniM pic.twitter.com/ca7Exz984v
According to Mantshantsha, the move was necessitated by the high number of planned outages.
"We have said we will aggressively maintain the power stations," he pointed out.
"We load shed in order to protect the national grid," he adds.
"The system is vulnerable and things can change very quickly because just one generating unit makes such a big difference when you have such a thin buffer."
Mantshantsha added: "Nobody wants to do this. But once we are load shedding, you know that somebody is in control, using the little that we have," he said.