All-day Stage 6 load shedding is back

Eskom says that load shedding will be escalated to stage 6 on Friday, as the group has hit a snag with generation capacity.

Stage 6 load shedding will be implemented from 12h00 on Friday until 05h00 on Monday.

The escalation follows warnings all week that the grid is highly volatile and only being kept under control through lower demand and less maintenance.

Unplanned outages are currently at 15,901MW of generating capacity, while the capacity out of service
for planned maintenance is 5,822MW. The load forecast for the evening peak demand is 27,206MW.

Eskom said will closely monitor the power system and communicate any changes to load shedding should it be required.

Eskom has experienced a rise in breakdowns over the past few weeks, which forced the group to escalate to stage 4 on Wednesday.

The latest plant performance data compiled by independent energy analyst Pieter Jordaan showed that contrary to the political statements indicating improvements in Eskom’s generation capacity, the group’s Energy Availability Factor (EAF) has regressed from the much-celebrated 60% level reached a month ago.

Outages have also entrenched above 30% of capacity, indicating serious troubles for the country’s energy outlook.

Schedules 

For people living in the major metros, load shedding schedules are available here:

• City of Johannesburg
• City of Ekurhuleni 
• City of Tshwane 
• City of Cape Town (PDF)
• Nelson Mandela Bay
• eThekwini
• Manguang
• Buffalo City

For access to other load shedding schedules, Eskom has made them available on loadshedding.eskom.co.za.

Smartphone users can also download the app EskomSePush to receive push notifications when load shedding is implemented, as well as the times the area you are in will be off.

Read: Blackout Friday – here are some awesome Black Friday deals to help you beat load shedding