According to energy expert Ted Blom, Eskom may need to up the ante with stage 4 loadshedding soon.
Expert warns of stage 4 loadshedding
On Wednesday, Eskom announced the return of stage 2 loadshedding, citing its need to “preserve the remaining emergency reserves at the OCGT (open-cycle gas turbines) and pump storage power stations in order to prevent higher stages of loadshedding.”
According to the power utility, total breakdowns amounting to 15 485MW, with 4 100MW out on planned maintenance, added further strain to the electricity system’s insufficient generation capacity.
Eskom further revealed that Wednesday’s breakdowns culminated in “the loss of a unit each at Medupi, Duvha and Kendal power stations.”
“Of the five units that failed yesteryday, a unit at Majuba, Kriel and Matimba power stations have returned to service while the remaining two units are undergoing boiler tube leak repairs,” the utility explained.
Blom, who’s gained a reputation for his accurate loadshedding predictions, believes there is a lot more Eskom is not telling South Africans. In a single tweet that ruptured social media, the energy expert warned the country to be for stage 4 loadsheding.
At stage 2, up to 2000MW of capacity needs to be shed. This means that within a four-day period, Eskom sheds up to six times in that period, for as long as two hours.
In the event that Eskom suffers further breakdowns and is pressed to replenish its emergency reserves, higher stages of loadshedding may be implemented.
According to Blom’s assessment, Eskom, at this stage, may need to shed up to 4 000MW from the power grid. In this case, consumers can expect to be shed up to 12 times over a four-day period for two hours at a time, or 12 times over an eight-day period for four hours at a time.
Eskom, however, maintains that for now, stage 2 loadshedding will remain in place until 05:00 on Saturday 20 November 2021.