As feared, Eskom will again implement rolling power cuts nationwide from 4pm on Wednesday, with a repeat to take place during the same hours on Thursday.
The state-owned utility had warned on Tuesday, when it began the latest round of load shedding, that cuts might also be imposed on Wednesday and Thursday between 4pm and midnight due to a lack of generating capacity at its ageing coal-fired fleet of power stations. This has now transpired.
“The breakdowns of a generation unit each at Duvha, Kendal and Kriel power stations in the last 24 hours, as well as delays in returning units to service at Arnot, Kusile, and Tutuka power stations, have put severe strain on hte power geneeraetion system,” Eskom said.
“During the same period, Eskom teams have returned a unit each at Arnot and Tutuka power stations to service. While a generation unit each at Kriel, Majuba and Tutuka power stations are expected to return to service over the next 24 hours, this will still be insufficient to stave off load shedding for Thursday afternoon.”
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