South Africa enters high alert for winter load shedding
Due to the anticipated increase in demand for electricity in the upcoming winter months, electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said that six power stations “require urgent and immediate attention.”
Ramokgopa said that this is urgently needed ahead of the colder months, starting around May, as this is when Eskom typically sees a surge in electricity demand, which places the grid at risk of experiencing higher levels of load-shedding.
Giving a media briefing on 25 March, Ramokgopa said that Eskom “have identified six power stations that require urgent and immediate attention because they are likely to give us the best returns.”
These include the Tutuka, Kendal, Kusile and Majuba power stations.
“This arrangement [of investing in maintenance and upgrades] is across the entire fleet of Eskom and not just isolated to particular stations, but it is these [abovementioned] stations… [that] have come across as being problematic therefore they require added attention,” said the minister.
It was not disclosed how the planned maintenance would impact the pressure on the grid.
According to Eskom’s recent update (23 March), currently, 6,705 MW of electricity is down for planned maintenance, whilst 14,428 MW is offline for unplanned maintenance.
The current planned maintenance is also seen as preparation for the anticipated spike in demand in the coming months.
Ramokgopa said that Eskom will present its winter load shedding plan at a later stage.
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