Risk of load shedding to increase this weekend
Eskom’s prognosis is that the power system will take up to 30 days to recover from the effects of the recent industrial action
The risk of load shedding will increase over the weekend as Eskom restore power plants and build up reserves for the coming week.
The power system remains constrained, Eskom said on Friday.
Eskom said: “The trade unions have committed to assist with normalising the operations. They have dispatched a team to various sites and most sites are returning to normality. Employees are encouraged to report back to work.
“The parties will formally sign the agreement on the August 8, after engaging their members, as discussed during the mediation process at the CCMA.”
Eskom’s prognosis is that the power system will take up to 30 days to recover from the effects of the recent industrial action which interrupted continuous processes at the power stations. During the 30-day recovery period, the risk of loadshedding will remain high.
Recovery teams will focus on stabilising the power system and to return the generation plant as quick as possible. Operational processes now have to be cleared out and re-started which would take additional time. These include:
Coal and diesel management.
Power plant restart and maintenance.
Environmental compliance and ash management
The improvement in generation and operational performance can only increase and be achieved with the return of employees, Eskom said.
“Meanwhile, we continue to encourage residents and businesses to use electricity sparingly to ease the demand of electricity. Switch off geysers as well as all non-essential lighting and electricity appliances to assist in reducing demand.”
