Johannesburg – Eskom, South Africa’s state-owned power entity, has escalated power cuts to Stage 3 load shedding from 9:00 AM on Sunday to 5:00 PM on Monday, aiming to replenish its emergency reserves. This decision comes in preparation for the upcoming week.
According to South African Government News Agency, the increase in load shedding was necessitated by the loss of a “cluster” of units across different power stations in the country, resulting in a shortfall of over 2,700 megawatts (MW). This loss is just shy of three stages of load shedding. Minister Ramokgopa explained that without these unit failures, the intensity of the current load shedding would not have been as severe.
The return of Units 1 and 3 at the Kusile Power Station has been highlighted as significant. These units have provided an additional buffer, reducing the acute intensity of the load shedding. Currently, South Africa is experiencing Stage 3 load shedding, the highest level to date.
Additionally, the failure of these generating units has led to the continued burning of diesel and the operation of open-cycle gas turbines (OGGT). Ramokgopa noted that Eskom had previously avoided using diesel and had been relying on the power units alone to meet electricity demand. However, recent breakdowns have depleted the emergency reserves, prompting the current load shedding strategy.
Despite not anticipating the extent of the current breakdown, Ramokgopa expressed optimism about the return of five units by tonight, including those from Duvha, Majuba, and Lethabo power stations. This return is critical for meeting the timelines and addressing the power shortfall.
Unit 1 at Koeberg Power Station was successfully reconnected to the grid on Saturday after almost a year, marking the longest outage in the station’s history. This outage was utilized to replace the original three steam generators with new ones. Following Unit 1’s stabilization, Unit 2 will be taken offline for similar upgrades.
The minister also mentioned that the government is moving swiftly on policy issues, focusing on South Africa’s energy mix, transmission interventions, and the addition of generation capacity, which is expected by the end of December this year.