South Africa now has 16 stages of load shedding

 ·5 Apr 2024

The national energy regulator Nersa has published the approved the NRS 048-9 Code of Practice Edition 3 – the latest document governing how load shedding is implemented in South Africa.

The NRS 048-9 Code of Practice is primarily an electricity utility-driven and executed document that derives its mandate and authority, once approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), as part of the Electricity Regulations Act.

When the first edition of the NRS048-9 code was established in 2010, load shedding stages were capped at Stage 4—representing 25% of the base load—requiring utilities to “find” electricity under emergency conditions.

The need for Stage 6 load shedding in 2019 prompted the NRS 048-9 Work Group to consider extending the load shedding stages to manage load shedding to Stage 8 (Edition 2).

In Stage 8, half the electricity load is shed, and the other half is waiting to be shed.

Now, with the third edition, the full load (minus critical load) is divided up into stages, which now span from stage 1 to stage 16.

While introducing 16 stages of load shedding is the key change in the new regulations, there are many other changes, including giving more flexibility around load curtailment and making provision for smart metering.

Braodly, the changes cover:

  • Consolidation of the load shedding stages into a single system from stage 1 to 16, restricting all licensees to using this system as specified in this code of practice, or being able to explain to NERSA why they do not and how their specific system still adheres to the principles herein.
  • Clarification on methods for setting baselines for curtailment customers.
  • Increased control of how load shedding and load curtailment are determined and carried out, providing more stability to the network and more certainty to curtailment customers.
  • Inclusion of the right for curtailment customers to reduce by 10% per stage (2 stages of load shedding), up to stage 10, 50% of their load, or to go to essential loads, depending on their own capacity, rather than being forced to essential loads after Stage 4.
  • The specification of compliance and reporting requirements (general and real-time);
  • Guidance on the implementation of smart metering as a technology platform for reducing the impact of load shedding on customers; and
  • Extensive editorial changes to this specification.

New load shedding stages

The key change in the document comes in extending load shedding stages to stage 16 – but the structure of the new stages may be unfamiliar to what most South Africans have become accustomed to.

At present, most South Africans understand each stage of load shedding to reflect 1,000MW of power that is removed from the grid.

However, under the new structure, this is rather expressed as the percentage of demand assumed by the System Operator at the time the stage is called. The percentages range from 5% of demand at stage 1 to 80% at stage 16.

The new edition also makes no mention of specific ranges (ie, +/- 1,000MW) as is the case in the previous code.

The new schedules also include the structure for customers who are part of the load curtailment programme.

The latest edition also offers a lot more room to load shedding alternatives, including “technology options” such as curtailment using load limiting relays, which will allow for schedules to adjusted.

For example, larger residential areas may rather be subject to curtailment than shedding for the same
load requirement to be achieved.

With the new guidelines published, it will be up to Eskom and municipalities to adjust their schedules to match the new requirements.

The new stages are as follows:

StageReduction required through load sheddingReduction required through curtailment
1All stage 1 load scheduled by utilities
5% of demand
10% reduction in normal demand profile
2All stage 2 load scheduled by utilities
10% of demand
10% reduction in normal demand profile
3All stage 3 load scheduled by utilities
15% of demand
15% reduction in normal demand profile
4All stage 4 load scheduled by utilities
20% of demand
20% reduction in normal demand profile
5All stage 5 load scheduled by utilities
25% of demand
30% reduction in normal demand profile
6All stage 6 load scheduled by utilities
30% of demand
30% reduction in normal demand profile
7All stage 7 load scheduled by utilities
35% of demand
40% reduction in normal demand profile
8All stage 8 load scheduled by utilities
40% of demand
40% reduction in normal demand profile
9All stage 9 load scheduled by utilities
45% of demand
50% reduction in normal demand profile
10All stage 10 load scheduled by utilities
50% of demand
50% reduction in normal demand profile
11All stage 11 load scheduled by utilities
55% of demand
Reduction to essential loads or as instructed by SO
12All stage 12 load scheduled by utilities
60% of demand
Reduction to essential loads or as instructed by SO
13All stage 13 load scheduled by utilities
65% of demand
Reduction to essential loads or as instructed by SO
14All stage 14 load scheduled by utilities
70% of demand
Reduction to essential loads or as instructed by SO
15All stage 15 load scheduled by utilities
75% of demand
Reduction to essential loads or as instructed by SO
16All stage 16 load scheduled by utilities
80% of demand
Reduction to essential loads or as instructed by SO

The full document is embedded below:


Read: No load shedding to continue into the weekend

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