Eskom moves to stage 3 load shedding on Wednesday
Eskom has announced that it will move load shedding from stage 2 (2000MW shed from the grid) to a partial stage 3 (4000MW shed from certain areas off the grid) at 16:00 due to the vulnerable system of the grid.
Eskom made the same announcement at the same time on Tuesday, revealing how sensitive the electricity situation is at the moment.
Load shedding should last until 22:00, the power utility said.
Public Works Minister Lynne Brown told media in Cape Town on Wednesday that Eskom only wanted to subject South Africans to a few hours of stage 3 load shedding, which is why it only implemented at from 16:00 to 22:00 and not the whole day.
“There will be load shedding for the next two years,” she said. “It is time for South Africans and the economy to adapt to the situation and find a way to save electricity and manage their productivity during the few hours of load shedding when it occurs.”
Power shortages in South Africa has curbed economic growth by as much as 10%, while also preventing mass employment opportunities, Dawie Roodt, chief economist at Efficient Group told Bloomberg.
“That is more than 300 billion rand ($25.3 billion), or more than a million job opportunities,” the economist said.
A presentation by the department of public enterprises to parliament at the end of March said that power cuts implemented by Eskom cost South Africa’s economy R80 billion a month.
Load shedding schedules are available on its load shedding website for Eskom customers. Customers can also call 0860 037 566 for information.
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