Due to the lack of generating capacity, Eskom will cause phase 2 load shedding from 4pm on Tuesday until midnight.
Confirming the move in a statement on Tuesday, the electricity utility also warned that power outages could continue during the evening peak hours on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Breakdowns of one generator at Arno Power Station and three at Tutuka Power Station in the last 24 hours, as well as delays in returning units to service at Arnot, Kusile and Tutuka Power Stations, have added to the heavy load on electricity. generation system,” says Eskom.
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Eskom’s latest power warning comes after the utility warned South Africans of a return to intermittent blackouts on Monday night.
At the time, the utility also blamed the need to implement load shedding on cold winter nights, which it said causes a spike in power demand.
“Increased demand due to a cold front sweeping the country has exacerbated capacity constraints,” it said.
According to Eskom, 4,550 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity is currently shut down for scheduled maintenance, while another 14,182 MW remain offline due to unscheduled breakdowns.
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