Pretoria - No load-shedding is anticipated for tomorrow, power utility Eskom said on Monday.
“Eskom is not load shedding today and does not anticipate that there will be any load shedding tomorrow as additional units have been returned from maintenance,” it said in a statement.
This as the country experienced rolling blackouts at the weekend after one of the silos at the Majuba power station in Mpumalanga cracked and later collapsed on Saturday. The silo had housed over 10 000 tons of coal.
Work at Majuba, said the utility, has progressed better than expected with teams working non-stop since the incident.
“Teams have worked non-stop since the incident on Saturday and have been able to connect coal feeder units, which have enabled us to ramp up the supply from 600 MW to 1 200 MW,” said Eskom.
It said that the risk of load shedding has reduced significantly.
However, the system will be under extreme pressure on Wednesday and Thursday as the water reserves Eskom had built up over the weekend for its peaking plants will be depleted.
The utility advised the public that if customers experience power outages during this period, they must contact their electricity providers as it could be a localised problem.
“Eskom would like to thank customers who have heeded the call to use electricity sparingly. Once again, we appeal to consumers to reduce their electricity usage throughout the day, but especially from 6pm to 10pm,” said the utility.
Eskom’s load shedding schedules are available for Eskom’s direct customers on its website (http://loadshedding.eskom.co.za/ ). Customers can also contact Eskom 0860 037 566 for additional information. – SAnews.gov.za
