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‘Load shedding to continue at stage 3’ – Eskom announces
Eskom said it will share further updates should any significant changes occur.
Eskom announced its load shedding schedule for the weekend. Picture: iStock
Stage 3 load shedding will continue to be implemented from 4pm until 5am, Eskom announced on Friday ahead of the weekend.
Thereafter stage 1 rolling blackouts will be implemented from 5am until 4pm.
Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said they will share further updates should there be any significant changes.
Kusile
Earlier this week, Eskom said a planned project at the Kusile power station is on schedule, which should help to ease the effects of the deliberate power cuts in the last quarter of 2023.
This comes after the completion of temporary flue stacks at the Kusile power station.
All three units, which have a combined capacity of 2 100 MW, became inoperable after the Unit 1 flue duct collapsed on 23 October 2022 causing all three generating units to be decommissioned.
Eskom said at least two units are expected to be back up by mid-November, with the final one following in December.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Mbeki claims load shedding was deliberately created by Eskom
Load shedding deliberately created
Meanwhile, former president Thabo Mbeki made explosive allegations about Eskom, including that the power utility’s management deliberately caused an electricity crisis and load shedding.
Speaking during a dialogue at Unisa on Thursday night, hosted by the Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs, Mbeki said the first time South Africa experienced a national electricity shutdown was in January 2008.
He said the argument is that Eskom had told the government in 1998 that there must be investment in new generation capacity and infrastructure.
“Government didn’t listen, hence the blackout in January 2008. That story was false. That story was cooked up. The reason there was a shutdown is because the people in charge of the power stations didn’t do what they supposed to do which was to replenish coal,” Mbeki said.
Updates
On Sunday, 27 August, Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa will host the weekly media briefing to update on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan.
Ramokgopa is expected to provide a status update on the Tutuka Power Station.
ALSO READ: Eskom shuts down Kusile unit after system failure
