Stage 4 load shedding on WEDNESDAY – find your schedule here

Eskom said Stage 4 load shedding will be implemented at 05:00 on WEDNESDAY and will remain in place until Thursday.

STAGE 4 LOAD SHEDDING IS PLANNED UNTIL THURSDAY

The power utility said load shedding had increased as three Kendal generation units tripped.

“Due to sudden loss of three Kendal Power Station generating units this morning, load shedding had been increased to Stage 4 until 05:00 on Thursday. Thereafter load shedding will be reduced to Stage 2 until midnight on Friday.

“Eskom apologises for the sudden changes in the load shedding profile and urges all South Africans to continue to use electricity sparingly.”

Eskom

It furthermore said in the early hours of Tuesday morning, a conveyer belt feeding coal into Kendal Power Station failed. To conserve coal, the power output of the generators was reduced, but this required fuel oil to be used to sustain the boiler combustion. Subsequently, the fuel oil plant supplying the units experienced a failure and shut down. This resulted in the trip of the three generating units. The Kendal units are anticipated to return to service by the weekend.

“Prior to this, a generating unit each at Arnot and Medupi power stations had been taken offline for emergency repairs.”

Eskom

Earlier this week, Eskom published its power outlook for the year ahead.

For 49 of the next 52 weeks, the ‘likely risk scenario’ for load shedding is rated high. The only predicted respite comes for two weeks at Christmas, and during one week in September 2023. For the foreseeable future, Eskom is indeed operating ‘at Code Red’.

ALSO READ: Eskom facing ‘Code Red’ – as major nuclear error reported

FIND YOUR SCHEDULE HERE:

• City of Tshwane 
• City of Johannesburg
• City of Ekurhuleni 
• City of Cape Town
• Nelson Mandela Bay
• eThekwini
• Manguang
• Buffalo City

For access to other load shedding schedules, Eskom has made them available on loadshedding.eskom.co.za.

ALSO READ: More SNOW expected TODAY in parts of South Africa

RAMAPHOSA URGED SOUTH AFRICANS TO GET ROOFTOP SOLAR

President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this month said they intend to enable businesses and households to invest in rooftop solar to generate electricity.

He said South Africa has a great abundance of sun that should be used to generate electricity.

ALSO READ: Is this the end of load shedding? Five things you need to know about the family meeting

“There is significant potential for households and businesses to install rooftop solar and connect this power to the grid.

“To incentivise greater uptake of rooftop solar, Eskom will develop rules and a pricing structure – known as a feed-in tariff – for all commercial and residential installations on its network.” 

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Click here to read more.

We’ve got some easy-to-implement tips from Budget Insurance to get you ready for life with load shedding:

• Keep your property well-lit to help deter potential criminal activities when the power goes off with a few high-wattage solar-powered lights for your garden – and a few LED lights for the inside.
• Check the load shedding schedule and make sure to charge your phone before the power goes off, or invest in a portable phone charger so that you can call for help if necessary.
• If you need to manually open and close your gates when you get home in the evenings, arrange for an escort from your security company to meet you at the house.
• Alarm systems, garage doors and electric gates generally rely on electricity, so make sure that these items all have good backup batteries. It is also wise to add some extra burglar bars or padlocks to potentially vulnerable areas in and around your home, should any of your backup batteries not make it through load shedding. 
• Keep a torch or a solar, battery-powered light that is charged beforehand in multiple, easily accessible locations around your home. Be sure to also have plenty of spare batteries.
• Your fridge and freezer supplies should be okay without power overnight if you do not open and close them repeatedly. If you’re worried about certain food items, prepare an ice box for these.
• Make sure that all appliances – especially those that pose a fire risk if left unattended – are switched off when load shedding starts and gradually turned back on once power returns. This not only minimises the pressure on the grid when the power is turned back on but also minimises the risk of damage to appliances due to power surges or a fire risk causing a power outage to turn into a catastrophe.