Eskom says probability of loadshedding low this week
No loadshedding was expected on Tuesday and the probability of scheduled power cuts was low for the rest of the week, Eskom said.
”Eskom will continue to use emergency reserves to supplement capacity if necessary over this period,” the power utility said.
It added that its technical teams would continue to work throughout the Christmas holidays to reduce the magnitude of unplanned breakdowns to below 9,500 megawatt.
Consumers should reduce consumption to help lower the need for load-shedding, Eskom added.
Last week Friday, the government asked industry for the cheapest and quickest options to ease a power crunch, as cabinet held an emergency meeting to try and resolve a crisis threatening growth in Africa’s most industrialized economy.
President Cyril Ramaphosa called the meeting after struggling state utility Eskom implemented the most extensive power cuts in more than a decade earlier this week, disrupting supply to businesses and households.
Eskom is choking under a massive 450 billion rand ($30.6 billion) debt burden and struggles to meet demand because its creaking coal-fired power stations haven’t been maintained properly.
It says the country desperately needs an additional 5,000 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity.