Load rotation due to deteriorating City Power infrastructure means several areas in Johannesburg are currently experiencing outages equivalent to stage 9 load shedding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement on Monday (11 March), City Power noted it would continue with its emergency load rotation for the Bellevue Substation, which started in February 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Load shedding happens when Eskom\u2019s power supply cannot meet demand due to a constrained grid, and the company shuts down power in a controlled manner (on a national schedule) to prevent a complete grid blackout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Load rotation, as announced by City Power, is a similar process but on a more localised level and is typically not on a schedule \u2013 ie residents experience unplanned outages as the utility rotates the load between different areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, during extended bouts of outages, a formal schedule can be established, as is the case in areas of Joburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The statement noted that this load rotation impacts several affected areas, including Bellevue, Bellevue East, Upper Houghton, Observatory, and Yeoville. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Notably, City Power said that the rotation schedule means some affected consumers will experience around 12 hours of no power in a day – up to 13.5 hours if the 30-minute switchover periods are included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although not nationwide, according to the NRS048-9 specifications, this is consistent with <\/strong>stage 9 load shedding<\/strong><\/a>, which is 12 to 14 hours without power per day or over a 24-hour cycle. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The full statement with the areas affected, as well as the load rotation schedule, is available below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n