AfrElec: South Africa’s power utility Eskom announces return to higher stages of power outages

South Africa’s state-owned power utility Eskom on February 10 announced a return to stage 6 power outages, or load-shedding, for an indefinite period. Eskom said in a statement it has faced setbacks due to multiple generating units being taken out of service.

Stage 6 load shedding is the highest level of power cuts implemented by Eskom, when the electricity demand exceeds the supply by 6,000 MW. This means that the utility must cut off power to different areas for up to 18 hours a day on a rotating schedule.

A total of five generating units were down due to boiler tube leaks, Eskom said, resulting in insufficient generation capacity. Additionally, the delay in returning three units from planned maintenance also contributed to inadequate generation capacity and increased reliance on emergency reserves.

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