Eskom implements stage 2 load shedding from Sunday to Tuesday

Eskom will implement stage 2 load shedding on Sunday night from 17h00, lasting until Tuesday (18 May) at 22h00.

The load shedding comes as a result of increased breakdowns, the power utility said.

“Eskom regrets to inform the public that due to a loss of ten generating units at seven power stations during the past 24 hours, stage 2 load shedding will be implemented,” it said.

The group saw the failure of three generation units at Tutuka due to a loss of air compressors; a unit at Majuba was forced to shut down while another unit tripped; and other units were lost due to boiler tube leaks, steam leaks and other trips.

Eskom said these amounted to a loss of over 6,000MW over 24 hours – bringing total ‘unplanned loss of capacity’ to 16,118MW.

The power utility urged the public to help it manage power demand by reducing consumption, while its teams work to restore capacity.

#POWERALERT 1

Due to plant breakdowns, Eskom will implement Stage 2 loadshedding from 17:00 this evening until 22:00 on Tuesday night@SABCNews@IOL@News24 @Newzroom405 @ewnupdates @SundayTimesZA @TheSAnews @etvNewsSA pic.twitter.com/dUhlz8jGLL

— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) May 16, 2021

For those living in the major metros, they can check to see when they will be affected:

• 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: South Africa could get a load shedding ‘safety net’ – but there are concerns around the deal