The probability of load shedding for the weekend is low and if things remain as they are, we could be looking forward to a holiday filled with electricity.
The probability of load shedding for the weekend is low and if things remain as they are, we could be looking forward to a holiday filled with electricity.
"There are no plans to load shed at the moment," the Eskom media desk said Thursday 11 December.
"But I don't want to mislead you, as you know that could change, but let's just say that the risk is low."
The schedule changes at a moment's notice, however, as Eskom responds to risks to energy production, including rain which could wet the coal.
Eskom provides daily status updates and forecasts at: http://loadshedding.eskom.co.za
On Thursday, the site said there were no plans for load shedding. The long-term calendar indicates that Grahamstown could be subjected to blackouts on Mondays from 6-8.30am, Wednesdays from 12-2.30pm and Friday from 6-8.30 pm.
This means that Christmas and New Year's Day, which fall on Thursday this year, will see a full-day of electricity. "That is certainly what we are aiming for," the media desk said.
The site states which stage of loadshedding the nation is currently under. In Stage 1, rolling blackouts occur once every other day; Stage 2 sees them daily, and Stage 3 schedules two power outages daily, such as occurred locally last Saturday when power was cut from 6-8.30am and then again from 12-2.30pm.
However, in his Power System Status Update delivered at Megawatt Park, Sunningdale, on Monday 8 December, Eskom Chief Executive Tshediso Matona said the probability of load shedding remains medium until 15 December.
After that, the risk of rolling blackouts would be low to medium until mid January should no additional problems arise, he said. This is because demand for electricity is expected to decrease as industry closes for the holidays.
"We will continue to do maintenance on our power stations, the system will remain constrained, but manageable," he said. An average of 1 800MW is being fed to the national grid per day.
The amount of energy the parastatal is able to produce is perilously close to insufficient for the nation's needs so that when problems occur, such as the collapse in November of a coal storage silo, blackouts and loadshedding occur.
Other potential problems include a breakdown in the feeders that take coal to the plant, the risk of rain wetting the coal and the safety of personnel due to the increased use of trucks.
"These risks are being actively managed," Matona said. As always, Eskom urged South Africans to switch off lights and appliances that aren't being used and to not run non-essential equipment such as pool pumps during peak morning and evening hours.
The parastatal has been struggling to meet energy demands since the coal storage silo collapsed at the Majuba power station 4 November.
Demolition of the partially collapsed silo is in progress and efforts to restore power are bearing fruit, Matona said. He said Units 1, 2, 5 & 6 were running at full load at morning and afternoon peak times. However, the units cannot be maintained at full load consistently.
In a media update, Eskom said the investigation into the Duvha Unit 3 boiler explosion on 30 March has been completed. Last December, Duvha changed its coal source resulting in a different type, grade and quality of coal being fed into the boiler.
This coal resulted in the build up of more and different residue in the boiler. Although this was being managed, the statement said that in conjunction with this there was a build-up of unburnt fuel and insufficient oxygen levels in the boiler.
These factors led to the explosion. A dedicated situational nerve centre has been set-up to manage the minute to minute load shedding process and to manage communication, the statement said. Eskom has had to move from one stage to the next, at very short notice, as a result of additional risk on the system.
Eskom urged customers to view loadshedding schedules in all three stages in the event that the transition is made at short notice on the day. They further encouraged customers to report any problems with schedules.
The network was not initially designed for load shedding, however, making restoration of power difficult at times. Unplanned technical errors sometimes occur during switch over, which extends power outages, it said.
