• Stage 5 loadshedding returns at 16:00 on Monday until 05:00 on Tuesday.
• Thereafter, Eskom hopes to keep loadshedding to Stage 3 during the day and Stage 4 at night.
• 16 870MW of generation capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns.

Following a week of silence from Eskom as regards loadshedding, South Africans were granted a slight reprieve on Sunday. That reprieve, however, is short lived.

With Stage 4 currently in effect, Eskom announced on Sunday evening that four hour power cuts would return on Monday evening and early on Tuesday morning with Stage 5 loadshedding. From 05:00 on Tuesday morning, Stage 3 loadshedding will be in effect with switches from Stage 3 to Stage 4 and back to Stage 3 on the cards for the rest of this week.

“Over the past 24 hours, a generating unit each at Arnot, Grootvlei, Kendal, Medupi and Tutuka power stations were returned to service,” Eskom wrote in a power alert.

“Breakdowns at a unit each at Camden, Majuba, and Matimba power stations caused units to be taken offline for repairs. The delay in returning a unit each to service at Arnot, Hendrina, Kendal, Medupu and Tutuka power stations are contributing to the current capacity constraints,” the utility elaborated.

Further to this electricity imports from the Cahora Bassa Hydro Scheme in Mozambique have been halved to just 600MW due to a failure on on of the lines pumping power to South Africa.

All tolled, 16 870MW of generation capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns while 4 757MW is unavailable due to planned maintenance.

While Eskom has been quiet as regards loadshedding, the utility went through a tumultuous week last week. Now former group chief executive officer Andre de Ruyter highlighted how pervasive corruption was at the utility claiming that as much as R1 billion is lost to corruption everyday at the utility.

This interview was quickly followed up with the Eskom board announcing that de Ruyter would need to vacate his position immediately and that he’d no longer need to serve out his notice period.

While Eskom searches for a replacement, chief financial officer, Calib Cassim has been appointed interim group chief executive officer.

We do caution that loadshedding has a habit of ramping up unexpectedly. Even in the midst of Stage 6 loadshedding last week there were fears that the severity of power cuts would be increased.

Here’s hoping this week things become a bit more stable and four hour power cuts are a thing of the past.

[Image – Andrey Metelev on Unsplash]