Stage 2 load shedding to be implemented on Wednesday 6 January

Eskom will implement Stage 2 load shedding on Wednesday night 6 January and again the following night on Thursday 7 January. The power utility has once again put it down to a need to preserve emergency generation reserves. 

STAGE 2 LOAD SHEDDING LOADING ON WEDNESDAY 6 JANUARY  

Eskom, in a statement on Wednesday morning, said Stage 2 load shedding would be implemented between 22:00 and 5:00 on Wednesday night and again on Thursday night. 

“The load shedding is necessary in order to recover and preserve the emergency generation reserves that have been utilised to support the system during the week following the earlier than planned shutdown of Koeberg Unit 1 and other units whose return to service has been delayed,” it said in the statement. 

Eskom said it currently has 6 672MW on planned maintenance, while another 12 073MW of capacity is unavailable due to unplanned maintenance. 

“Eskom teams are working around the clock to return as many of these units to service as soon as possible. Eskom would like to urge the public to reduce electricity consumption in order to help us minimize load shedding,” it added.  

Bad news, the power utility said the system remains vulnerable and unpredictable which means we can expect Stage 2 load shedding or a higher level at any given moment. Eskom, however, did say that load shedding is implemented as a last resort in order to protect the integrity of the system.

“As previously communicated, Eskom continues to implement reliability maintenance during this period, and thus the system will continue to be constrained and the risk of load shedding remains elevated,” it added. 

At the moment the equivalent of two large power stations is out for planned maintenance, adding pressure to the system. Eskom said it would communicate timeously should there be any significant changes to the power system. 

KOEBERG UNIT 1 SHUTDOWN 

A significant leak was reported at Koeberg Unit 1 on Monday which ultimately led to the unit being taken offline for repairs. Due to this, a warning of increased load shedding, or in our case Stage 2 load shedding, was delivered. 

“Although the leak rate was well within the safety limits, a conservative decision was made to take Koeberg Unit 1 offline for repairs. During this period, the unit will also undergo routine maintenance, only returning to service during May 2021. The cause of the increased leak rate will be addressed. There is no risk to plant, personnel, or the environment,” Eskom said. 

“The steam generator is a tubular heat exchanger, which mechanically dries the steam produced during the generation process. Shutting down the plant takes several hours, and once it’s done, fuel will be unloaded from the reactor core to enable maintenance activities to be conducted. Unit 2, however, continues to operate at full power,” it added.