Eskom has announced that it will initiate stage 4 load-shedding from 10:00 until 23:00 on Monday 9 December 2019.
Stage 2 load-shedding was already scheduled for Monday, but Eskom has now escalated the level of rolling blackouts due to the loss of additional power generation units.
“We regret that due to additional loss of units at our power stations, Stage 2 load-shedding will move to stage 4 as from 10:00 to 23:00,” Eskom said.
The power previously stated that the probability of load-shedding would remain high throughout the coming week due to the shortage of capacity.
Eskom said that it had lost additional power generation units during the course of the day on Sunday 8 December 2019, which resulted in unplanned breakdowns increasing to 12,000MW by 19:00.
To cope with the loss of these units, Eskom was forced to increase its reliance on diesel and water at its open-cycle gas turbines and pumped storage schemes.
“Regrettably, as a result, we have been unable to conserve water and diesel as required to stop or to minimise load-shedding for the coming week,” Eskom said.
“We remind customers that load-shedding is a responsible act to prevent a national blackout.”
