Eskom will continue with stage 3 load shedding on Wednesday between 08:00 and 23:00 as it continues to battle capacity shortages.

The power utility said in an early morning statement that a number of generating units were still out of service due to breakdowns.

It said despite some units returning to service as planned and some replenishment of diesel supplies, its water and diesel emergency reserves were still “very low”.

State 3 load shedding allows for up to 3000 MW to be shed from the national grid.

Eskom also said it was “concerned” about the risk to its operations as a result of Wednesday’s planned national strike action by trade union federation Cosatu.

Cosatu’s strike against job losses is taking place in all provinces expect the Western Cape on Wednesday. Protests in the Western Cape will take place on February 19 – the day before Finance Minister Tito Mboweni is expected to deliver his maiden Budget speech.