The power system is constrained, but there is a low risk of load shedding on Saturday, according to state-owned power utility Eskom.

“While we are currently using some diesel generators to supplement capacity, we are planning to return some units and replenish our emergency reserves for the week ahead,” Eskom said in a statement.

Unplanned outages had “eased a bit overnight” and were at 13,751MW as at 7am on Saturday morning.

Eskom’s technical teams were working hard to return units that were on planned maintenance and those that experienced breakdowns in order to increase available capacity.

“In addition, we continue with our planned maintenance with three big units at Medupi, Kendal, and Matimba being taken out between today [Saturday] and Monday. It is therefore critical that we manage our reserves closely in order to have adequate power for the week ahead, which is forecasted to be tighter.”

Eskom requested customers to help by reducing demand while the utility worked on improving the effectiveness of its maintenance.

Source: African News Agency (ANA)