Power utility Eskom says that stage 4 load shedding will remain this week, with an alternating schedule between stages 2 and 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stage 4 load shedding will be implemented from 16h00 on Sunday (30 July) 05h00 on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thereafter, stage 2 load shedding will be implemented from 05h00 until 16h00. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This pattern will be implemented daily until further notice. Eskom will publish another update should any significant changes occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The schedule is as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sunday, 30 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday, 31 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Repeats until further notice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Breakdowns have reduced to 15,798MW of generating capacity, while the generating capacity out of service for planned maintenance is 3,099MW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the past 24 hours, a generating unit each at Grootvlei, Kendal, Kriel, Majuba and Medupi power stations were returned to service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The delay in returning to service a generating unit at Kendal and two generating units at Tutuka power stations is contributing to the current capacity constraints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The power utility issued an alert earlier on Sunday calling on South Africans to try and control their energy use in a bid to stave off higher stages of load shedding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is due to much colder weather that has hit many parts of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Colder weather usually brings much higher demand as households seek heat, which can lead to higher stages of load shedding as Eskom still cannot generate enough power to meet it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Eskom to keep load shedding low, it needs to keep its unplanned outages below 15,000MW, while demand needs to be kept below 30,000MW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At last reporting, Eskom was seeing peak demand at almost 33,000MW, while unplanned outages have been between 16,000MW and 18,000MW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Load shedding continues to do massive damage to South Africa\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The South African Reserve Bank estimates that South Africa\u2019s economic growth this year and over the next two would have been closer to 2% had it not been for frequent power cuts, according to Governor Lesetja Kganyago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The central bank is forecasting growth of 0.4% this year, and expects it to average about 1% over the next two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although load shedding \u201centered the South African lexicon 15 years ago, it has intensified over the past two years, placing a binding constraint on growth,\u201d Kganyago said Friday at a meeting of the central bank\u2019s shareholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The SARB estimates that load shedding robs the economy of between R230 million and R900 million a day at stage 3 to stage 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schedules <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For people living in the major metros, load shedding schedules are available here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For access to other load shedding schedules, Eskom has made them available on loadshedding.eskom.co.za.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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