South Africans are likely to have a few dark days in 2021, quite literally, as there is a high probability that load shedding will strike between now and September 2021, according to Eskom.
For the last few months, Eskom has been implementing load reductions in certain areas across the country. This involves switching off the power in areas where illegal connection cases overload and damage the system. The power utility hopes to protect the grid and reduce the usage during peak hours through load reduction.
Speaking to EWN, Spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said that there is an increased risk of rotational power cuts as many power stations are under maintenance.
“There remains a high risk of load shedding during this period going all the way to around September 2021 when we will start seeing big improvements in the system,” he said.
New data published by Eskom revealed that a little over 60% of the power utility’s available fleet deteriorated, partly as a result of an increase in plants being taken offline for maintenance. The risk of unplanned outages remains very high during this period.
Eskom’s forecast from now until March 2021 predicts a consistent supply shortage of over 1000MW in almost every week. This suggests that Stage 2 load shedding will likely be implemented rotationally across the country during this period, according to Tech Central.
Also read: Protect yourself from risks on the road during load shedding
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