EXPLAINER: This is what Stage 6 load shedding means

The weekend went from bad to worse for South Africans after waking up to more sombre news from Eskom – the implementation of stage 6 load shedding. The embattled power utility had re-introduced stage 5 of the rolling blackouts on Saturday, 17 September 2022, citing the loss in generation capacity at some of its power stations.

Eskom says generating units at its Kuseile and Kriel power stations tripped, forcing the embattled parastatal to implement the rolling blackouts. The entity says this was effective from 04:16 on Sunday, 18 September 2022.

“Following the tripping of a generating unit each at Kusile and Kriel power stations, Stage 6 load shedding was implemented effective 04:16. Eskom appeals to the public to help conserve electricity,” said spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha in a brief statement.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING STAGE 6 LOAD SHEDDING?

Given what is commonly known about load shedding, stage 6 is an indicator of things not getting any better with the current power situation at Eskom. During stage 6, the parastatal can shed up to 6000MW of the national load. This means South Africans can experience rolling blackouts at least 18 times for four days, for up to four-and-a-half hours at a time. Others can expect to experience load shedding 18 times over a period of eight days, for two hours at a time.

It isn’t exactly clear how long the power cuts are expected to continue.

Meanwhile, Eskom is expected to shed some light on the current power situation during a media briefing on Sunday at 10:00.

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