Load shedding has become the new abnormal for South Africans as Eskom struggles to keep the lights on – mostly due to multiple-generation failures of ageing coal plants.
The latest update from the embattled national power utility forecasts the implementation of load shedding at various stages until Wednesday 3 May.
Various stages of load shedding
Stage 3 load shedding will be implemented from Sunday 30 April at 16:00.
Stage 1 load shedding will then kick in from 05:00 on Monday 01 May until 16:00, with stage 3 load shedding then being introduced until 05:00 on Tuesday.
After the long weekend, stage 4 will be implemented on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.
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Load shedding scheduled for the week ahead:
Sunday 30 April
Monday 1 May
- Stage 3: 00:00 to 05:00
- Stage 1: 05:00 to 16:00
- Stage 3: 16:00 to 00:00
Tuesday 2 May
- Stage 3: 00:00 to 05:00
- Stage 2: 05:00 to 16:00
- Stage 4: 16:00 to 00:00
Wednesday 3 May
- Stage 4: 00:00 to 05:00
- Stage 2: 05:00 to 16:00
- Stage 4: 16:00 to 00:00
Eskom ‘power update’
According to Eskom, breakdowns currently stand at 17 702MW of generating capacity, with over 3 700MW also out for planned maintenance.
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The good news is that in the last 24 hours, a unit each at Matla and Medupi power stations was brought back to service.
The not-so-good news: A generating unit each at Grootvlei and Lethabo power stations was taken offline for repairs over the same time period.
Eskom Crisis Communication Manager Menzi Mngomezulu said the delays in returning a service at Arnot, Duvha, Kriel and Lethabo power stations were exacerbating current capacity constraints.
Load shedding schedules for metros:
For access to other schedules, Eskom made it available on loadshedding.eskom.co.za.
