Load shedding break extended – here’s the new schedule – BusinessTech

Power utility Eskom says that the suspension of load shedding will continue for another day – taking the total break to four consecutive days.

The group said that load shedding will remain suspended until 16h00 on Tuesday, 24 October, after initially planning to bring outages back on Monday.

When load shedding does return, it will be at lower stages, Eskom said, with stage 1 anticipated in the evenings and suspension again during the day.

The schedule looks as follows:

Sunday, 22 October

• Suspended: 00h00 to 00h00

Monday, 23 October

• Suspended: 00h00 to 00h00

Tuesday, 24 October

• Suspended: 00h00 to 16h00
• Stage 1: 16h00 to 00h00

Wednesday, 25 October

• Stage 1: 00h00 to 05h00
• Suspended: 05h00 to 16h00
• Stage 1: 16h00 to 00h00

Thursday, 26 October

• Stage 1: 00h00 to 05h00
• Suspended: 05h00 to 16h00
• Stage 1: 16h00 to 00h00

Breakdowns are currently at 13,559MW, while planned maintenance is at 4,765MW of generation capacity.

Demand forecast for the evening peak is 25,054MW.

Analysis of the data published by Eskom on its fleet performance shows that the group’s energy availability factor has taken a positive turn, with plants performing better than the same time in 2021 and 2022.

Breakdowns have also improved – which is key to the group’s plan to keep load shedding contained in the summer months.

However, the data also shows that energy supplies aren’t significantly higher, and that much of the improvement seen in the system comes from lower demand.

Improvements can also be attributed to three units at Kusile coming online in recent weeks, with units 1 and 3 returning from a year-long outage, and unit 4 returning to operation in September.

Unit 2 is expected to return in November, with unit 5 expected to be synchronized in December.

Schedules 

For people living in the major metros, load shedding schedules are available here:

For access to other load shedding schedules, Eskom has made them available on loadshedding.eskom.co.za.

Smartphone users can also download the app EskomSePush to receive push notifications when load shedding is implemented, as well as the times the area you are in will be off.

Read: A way out for South Africa – how new systems can help cut load shedding