Prepare for Darkness | Stage 4 load shedding from 2pm

Eskom will implement stage 4 load-shedding from 2pm on Friday, the utility’s spokesperson Nto Rikhotso has confirmed.

“For now, we will implement stage 4 load shedding between 2pm and 6am tomorrow. Should anything change, Eskom will advise consumers,” she said.

“Last night [Thursday] we implemented load shedding because we wanted to augment water resources. Some of the units we expected to come back [online] did not come back”

“Further to that, this morning [Friday], because of the rain, we are starting to experience coal-handling issues because some stations now have wet coal, and thus more units are not able to generate,” she said.

What does each stage mean?

Stage 1 allows for up to 1000 MW of the national load to be shed. Requires the least amount of load shedding, 3 times over a four-day period for two hours at a time, or 3 times over an eight-day period for four hours at a time.

Stage 2 allows for up to 2000 MW of the national load to be shed. Doubles the frequency of Stage 1, which means you will be scheduled for load shedding 6 times over a four-day period for two hours at a time, or 6 times over an eight-day period for four hours at a time.

Stage 3 allows for up to 3000 MW of the national load to be shed. Increases the frequency of Stage 2 by 50%, which means you will be scheduled for load shedding 9 times over a four-day period for two hours at a time, or 9 times over an eight-day period for four hours at a time.

Stage 4 allows for up to 4000 MW of the national load to be shed. Doubles the frequency of Stage 2, which means you will be scheduled for load shedding 12 times over a four day period for two hours at a time, or 12 times over an eight day period for four hours at a time.

#POWERALERT 1

Date: 6 December 2019

Stage 2 loadshedding will continue today from 09:00 until 06:00 on Saturday, 7 December 2019

@@News24 @CityPowerJhb @City_Ekurhuleni @CityTshwane @CityofCT @eThekwiniM @CityofJoburgZA @TrafficSA @ewnupdates @SABCNewsOnline @SAfmRadio @IOL pic.twitter.com/5gDOPTEI8t

— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) December 6, 2019

#POWERALERT 1

Date: 6 December 2019

Stage 2 loadshedding will continue today from 09:00 until 06:00 on Saturday, 7 December 2019

@@News24 @CityPowerJhb @City_Ekurhuleni @CityTshwane @CityofCT @eThekwiniM @CityofJoburgZA @TrafficSA @ewnupdates @SABCNewsOnline @SAfmRadio @IOL pic.twitter.com/5gDOPTEI8t

— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) December 6, 2019