Following overnight loadshedding at Stage 2, Eskom will implement Stage 4 again from 09:00 on Wednesday.

Eskom was forced to implement Stage 4 loadshedding on Tuesday when Koeberg Unit 1 tripped.

It appears as if the issue has not yet been resolved following an update from Eskom on Tuesday evening.

“Koeberg Unit 1 was disconnected from the grid due to a fault on the turbine section earlier today. The nuclear reactor remains safe,” wrote Eskom.

The utility says that the power station’s Seawater Circulating Water Pump was damaged and repairs will take “a number of days” to complete.

While Koeberg Unit 1 was only contributing 930MW to the national grid, Eskom already had unplanned breakdowns and outages removing 11 386MW from the grid. As of Tuesday afternoon that figure slipped to 12 046MW.

Eskom has urged South Africans to use power sparingly as this may help minimise loadshedding.

The utility has also said that due to the constrained, unpredictable nature of its generating fleet, the loadshedding stage could change at short notice.

Be sure to check the loadshedding schedules for your area to see if you will be affected by Stage 4 loadshedding.