Eskom says it will suspend load shedding from 10pm this evening but warned that the power system remains constrained.

The country has experienced varying stages of load shedding over the past week after the power utility's power stations encountered several breakdowns.

“Eskom expects to return to service nine generation units during the weekend. These are a unit at Hendrina and two generation units each at Arnot, Duvha, Majuba and Tutuka power stations. The low weekend demand will assist in replenishing emergency reserves. This, together with the reduced weekend demand, will enable Eskom to suspend loadshedding... tonight,” Eskom said.

Currently, the power utility has at least 5 353MW of capacity unavailable due to planned maintenance, with another 14 912MW of capacity still unavailable due to unplanned breakdowns.

The power supplier cautioned consumers to use electricity sparingly, as the the grid remains under severe pressure.

“Eskom would like to again caution that even with the return to service of these units, the power system remains severely constrained and volatile. During next week, we anticipate to continue relying on the use of emergency reserves to meet demand.

“Eskom would again like to apologise for the implementation of load shedding and will continue to closely monitor the power system. Load shedding is implemented only as a last resort to protect the national grid. We therefore request the public to continue using electricity sparingly to reduce the occurrence of load shedding,” Eskom said.

Source: South African Government News Agency