Pretoria - Eskom is in a much better position to manage load shedding than in the last episode in 2008, Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba said on Thursday.
Eskom, which produces about 85% of its electricity from coal, started load shedding, which will affect numerous parts of the country up until about 10pm today. This after declaring a power emergency this morning.
Eskom has depleted dry coal stockpiles at some power stations due to the rainy weather conditions. This has contributed to severe system constraints due to lower power output as a result of wet and poor quality coal.
Last night, Eskom lost three units at Kendal Power Station in Mpumalanga. It has had to reduce output at other power stations, Duvha in particular, which is getting its conveyor belts reconstructed following a fire in December 2013.
“Load shedding is done as a last resort to protect the national system from a total blackout, which would have significant impact on the economic developments of South Africa,” said Minister Gigaba.
In the case of a total blackout, it can take up to weeks to return to normality.
“Although, this is the first time load has been shed since 2008, Eskom is in a much better position to manage the situation than they were then… They have the skills, experience and the knowledge, with a robust risk and early warning protocol in place.
“They have also developed communication protocols with municipalities and various stakeholders,” said the minister.
The load shedding will impact all customer segments throughout the country. It will be implemented nationally on a rotational basis, as per Eskom’s load shedding schedules available on the Eskom website (http://loadshedding.eskom.co.za/.) – SAnews.gov.za
