National electricity supply company Eskom has announced the possibility of having to implement load-shedding across South Africa has become higher, as coal stockpiles at five of its power stations dip sharply.
Eskom’s spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe informed Reuters that the possibility of national is not isolated to a specific region of the country, but is rather a national issue.
“The risk of load shedding is there and it’s rising,” Phasiwe said. “In total, we have 11 coal-fired power stations that have less than the required minimum amount of 20 days [worth of] stockpile. Out of the 11, five of them have less than 10 days of coal stock and that is the challenge.”
The public enterprise has announced that it will begin cutting jobs at management level to lower its operating costs, which have continued to skyrocket despite no increase in the power output.
“As a result, Eskom’s Board of Directors has decided to review the company’s organisational design [in order] to enhance operational and cost efficiencies. As such, Eskom’s Board has approved a Section 189 process for its executive structure,” Phasiwe said.
To see which areas may experience load-shedding, click here.
Picture: Pixabay