Eskom moves to stage 2 load shedding: here’s how it will impact you

·1 Dec 2018

State-owned power company Eskom announced on Saturday (1 December), that it has been forced to implement stage 2 load shedding because of continued pressure on the national grid.

“Stage 2 calls for 2,000MW to rotationally load shed nationally at a given period. Loadshedding is conducted rotationally as a measure of last resort to protect the power system from a total collapse or blackout,” Eskom has previously said.

#PowerAlert UPDATE: Due to continued pressure on the national grid, #Eskom will implement stage 2 #loadshedding from 4pm to 10pm Today. Apologies for the inconvenience and uncertainty that this is causing. Eskom will continue to provide regular updates on this matter.

— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) December 1, 2018

Eskom warned earlier this week that controlled blackouts could return and last throughout the year.

Even more concerning, Bloomberg reported, is that the company expects energy availability of the system will keep declining into early next year and probably only recover to current levels in six months.

By Thursday, Eskom announced it was cutting 1,000 megawatts from the grid. And by Friday, it said it would double that to 2,000 megawatts.

“For South Africans, that means a return to stocking up on candles, mopping up thawed refrigerators and sitting in gridlocked roads around blank traffic lights,” Bloomberg said.

Eskom’s debt has skyrocketed to R419 billion, amid declining sales volumes. Its generation difficulties are connected to the financial challenges, which limit the amount of maintenance and refurbishments the company can afford to carry out at its fleet of aging power stations.

The utility is also running low on coal, Bloomberg said.

Where to find the loading shedding schedule:

For information on how to interpret #loadshedding schedules, click on the following link https://t.co/s7Scju4KLA … pic.twitter.com/7MsxiWsjx4

— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) December 1, 2018