Energy utility Eskom expects its current electricity capacity of 32 500 MW, which includes power generated by its open cycle gas turbines, to meet Monday evening’s peak demand of 29 597 MW, the parastatal noted in its biweekly system status bulletin on Monday.
The provider said it had taken planned maintenance and estimated unplanned outages into account, which would reduce total capacity by 5 800 MW and 4 500 MW respectively.
Encouraging consumers to use electricity sparingly, the utility noted that, while it continued to make progress with its programme of planned maintenance, the system remained tight.
“We urge all South Africans to partner with us to save 10% of their electricity usage, especially during peak periods between 17:00 and 19:00. This will make it significantly easier to manage the power system during this challenging time, while also enabling us to do planned maintenance to ensure the reliability of our plant,” Eskom stated.
Peak demand for the rest of this week was forecast at 29 890 MW on Tuesday, 29 990 MW on Wednesday, 30 247 MW on Thursday, 30 220 MW on Friday, 28 517 MW on Saturday and 28 337 MW on Sunday.