To preserve the emergency generation reserves, the implementation of Stage 2 loadshedding will now start at 08:00 until 22:00 both on Saturday and Sunday

Friday, 20 May 2022: Eskom regrets to announce that the implementation of Stage 2 loadshedding will now be extended to Saturday and Sunday from 08:00 until 22:00. This is done to preserve the current diesel stocks and an attempt to contain the amount of loadshedding. Eskom will continue to closely monitor the system, adjust and communicate any changes as may be necessary.

Eskom is expecting a ship containing diesel supplies to berth on Monday, and to offload its cargo through Tuesday. If the current burn rate persists, diesel would be depleted ahead of the ship offloading.

While a single unit at the Duvha Power Station tripped this afternoon, a generating unit each at Tutuka and Medupi power stations have been returned to service. Three generation units are expected to service tomorrow. This, however, will not be sufficient to meet the higher demand during the cold front over the weekend.   

We currently have 3 405MW on planned maintenance, while another 15 481MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns.

Eskom appeals to all South Africans to help limit the impact of loadshedding by reducing the usage of electricity and to switch off all non-essential items.

Eskom would like to remind the public that loadshedding is implemented only as a last resort to protect the national grid. We therefore urge all South Africans to continue using electricity sparingly especially between 05:00 – 09:00 in the mornings and 16:00 – 22:00 in the evenings.

ENDS