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Eskom takes back control of load shedding in Ekurhuleni
Eskom has accused the City of Ekurhuleni of failing to implement load shedding 'on numerous occasions'.
Medupi power station. Photo: iStock
Eskom will take over the implementation of load shedding in the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) from Friday, after the municipality’s alleged failure to “reduce the load as required”.
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The utility announced on Thursday that this was in breech of the NRS 048-9:2019 code of practice.
“The recurrence of Eskom taking over load shedding in Ekurhuleni follows the close monitoring and analysis conducted by the power utility which shows that the City does not reduce the load as required by the NRS 048-9:2019.
City fails on ‘numerous occasions’
“Eskom brought to the attention of the City, on numerous occasions, its failure to load shed its customers in keeping with the agreed regulations. On previous occasions, Eskom has taken back the role of load shedding the CoE customers.
“The City then requested that Eskom hand back the implementation of load shedding to the municipality with a commitment to honour the requirements of the code of practice,” the utility said.
Eskom said while it appreciates the municipality’s “limitations in executing load shedding” it has little option but to take this step as further non-compliance will put more strain on the already-stretched national grid.
“Failure to implement load shedding when required by all electricity distributors, including municipalities, undermines the integrity and stability of the grid, which may lead to higher stages of load shedding.”
Eskom encouraged residential and industrial customers in Ekurhuleni to contact the municipality directly for their load shedding schedule or visit www.ekurhuleni.gov.za as Eskom uses the City’s schedule.
City spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini told The Citizen the City received a letter from Eskom regarding the load shedding issue.
“We appreciate the electricity situation faced by the country and remain committed to the course as directed by Eskom.
“We shall be engaging further with the entity to discuss the areas of concern and see how best we can address them.
“It is regrettable that we find ourselves in this situation but we are optimistic we will find each other like we normally do.”
Reducing the load
The utility said the public can help reduce the load by switching off non-essential and high-consuming appliances such as geysers, stoves and pool pumps.
“This will alleviate the pressure on the power system and contribute to lower stages of load shedding.”
Ending load shedding
On Wednesday, the Multi-Party Charter unveiled their plans to keep South Africa out of darkness after this year’s general elections … and get rid of the Electricity Ministry.
According to the 11 parties involved, these plans include a three-pronged approach: reforming Eskom, establishing an open energy market, and ensuring a just transition to a renewable energy future.
They said these reforms would secure South Africa’s energy future, while increasing clean and renewable energy utilisation.
ALSO READ: Multi-Party Charter wants to get rid of Electricity Ministry amid plans to end load shedding
Additional reporting by Itumeleng Mafisa.
