Share

No load shedding planned for Christmas eve, despite constrained and vulnerable system

Eskom said on Tuesday morning that it does not expect any load shedding during the day as demand dropped during festive period. 

While some generating units have returned to service, Eskom said it will ''continue to use emergency reserves to supplement capacity if necessary over this period.''

The power utility has warned customers that the system continues to be vulnerable and unpredictable and that "the possibility of load shedding remains."

In its statement Eskom said it has since Sunday not utilised emergency diesel to supplement capacity.

Breakdowns are at 14 860 MW as of 06:30 Tuesday morning, this is still well above the level of 9 500MW the utility is aiming for. 

"Our technical teams will continue to work over the holiday period to monitor the situation, carry out planned maintenance and to work at reducing unplanned breakdowns to below 9 500MW to enable us to minimise the possibility of load shedding," it said in a morning update. 

''We continue to ask customers to reduce demand as a concerted collective effort can help to avoid or lessen the level of load shedding.'' 

President Cyril Ramaphosa, addressing the media last week after cutting short an official visit to Egypt, said Eskom management had given him an assurance that the utility "should not be in a position to have any form of load shedding" between December 17 and January 15, 2020. 

Ramaphosa added that he had instructed all managers that leave until January is cancelled. 

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.1%
Rand - Pound
23.92
-0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.42
+0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.33
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.0%
Platinum
908.05
+1.2%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders