State-owned power utility Eskom’s rotational load shedding and emergency protocols were likely to continue until Thursday as the utility declared another emergency.
A spokesperson for the power utility, which started implementing rotational load reduction just after 17:00 on Tuesday to cut electricity use and balance the system, told Engineering News Online that the system remained constrained and load shedding would likely be implemented to conserve electricity.
Although Eskom said it had adequate generating capacity to meet the demand during the day, the challenge was over the short sharp evening peak – particularly between 17:30 and 18:30 – when electricity demand increased up to 36 000 MW.
The outlook for Friday and the weekend was more positive, with no power cuts expected, as demand eased in what was generally a lower-use period.
The most recent biweekly system status bulletin, released on Monday, forecast peak demand for Wednesday at 35 026 MW and 35 192 MW on Thursday.