Eskom implements Stage 6 loadshedding
Stage 6 will greet South Africans despite their long run of uninterrupted power supply.
Here we go again, Eskom implements Stage 6.
In a media statement released today (February 23), the nation’s power entity said it regrets announcing that Stage 6 load-shedding was implemented at 01:30 due to multiple unit trips at Camden Power Station and will continue until further notice.
“This measure followed the implementation of Stage 3, necessitated by multiple unit trips at Majuba Power Station and a unit trip at Medupi that resulted in a loss of 3 864 MW in generation capacity, while planned maintenance accounted for 7 506 MW. Additionally, to replenish emergency reserves and prepare for the week ahead, Stage 6 load-shedding was essential.”
A media briefing will be held today (February 23) at 11:00 to provide more details and updates on the power system.
What is load-shedding?
When the electricity demand exceeds the available supply, planned supply interruptions may have to be carried out. This is called load-shedding according to The City of Joburg.
It is a controlled way of rotating the available electricity between all Eskom customers.
According to the power utility, affected areas are not interrupted for more than two hours at a time, and in most cases, customers can be informed of interruptions in advance. It is also done on a rotational basis.
Shortages in the electricity system unbalance the network, which can cause it to collapse; by rotating the load in a planned and controlled manner, the system remains stable.
When this happens, the load exceeds supply, and the load has to be reduced to a point where the available capacity can handle it, otherwise the result for the whole system could be serious. So the system controllers “shed some load” – they switch off the supply to various customers for a short while.
However, local municipalities also conduct load shedding, following their own needs and schedules. Customers who receive their electricity directly from Eskom will find information on possible outages on its website. Those who are supplied by their local municipalities have to obtain load-shedding information from their municipal electricity departments.
Related articles:
How to manage your laundry during load-shedding
How to cope with loadshedding homeschooling
