- South Africa’s state owned power utility, Eskom, has announced the implementation of Stage 4 load shedding from 14:00 this afternoon.
- This after Unit 1 of its nuclear power station , Koeberg, tripped.
- The unit has been disconnected from the grid due to a fault on the turbine side, however the nuclear reactor remains safe.
- The teams are investigating the root causes of the fault, and will advise of the remedy as soon as it is established.
- The loss of approximately 930MW unit puts further strain on the generation fleet, necessitating an increase in the stage of loadshedding.
As the ageing fleet is currently constrained, unpredictable and vulnerable, we advise South Africans that the stage of loadshedding may change at short notice should there be any unexpected change in the generation system performance. Demand has also risen incrementally since January.
Eskom emphasises that it only through partnership between Eskom and all stakeholders that the country may soon emerge from these difficult times.
Eskom has been plagued by corruption, looting and gross mismanagement. The utility relies on taxpayers money for bailouts to service their nearly R500 billion plus debt.
Eskom is set to be unbundled in the short term. Read more
The South African public at large are at a wits end as to why the ruling party has not brought those who are responsible for the current state of Eskom to book. Read more
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
