By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
State owned power utility Eskom says Stage 6 load shedding will be implemented from 16:00 on Monday due to delays in returning 10 generating units to service.
Thereafter, stage 4 load shedding will be implemented from 05h00 until 16h00 on Tuesday.
This pattern will be repeated daily until further notice. Eskom will publish another update as soon as any significant changes occur.
Breakdowns are currently at 18,751MW of generating capacity while the generating capacity out of service for planned maintenance is 2 407MW.
Over the past 24 hours, a generating unit each at Hendrina and Kendal power stations were returned to service.
In the same period, a generation unit each at Duvha, Kriel and Tutuka power stations were taken out of service due to breakdowns.
The further delays in returning to service a generating unit at Arnot, Duvha, Hendrina, Kendal, Kriel, Lethabo, Majuba, Matimba and two generating units at Camden power stations continue to add to the current capacity constraints.
Outages are currently tracking to the ‘worse-case scenario’ in Eskom’s latest winter outlook, where it said it would have to keep unplanned outages below 18,000MW to avoid stage 8 load shedding.
The group needs to keep these outages contained and below 15,000MW to keep the ‘best-case’ scenario of stage 3 to stage 5 load shedding a reality.
It must also be noted that eThekwini has also returned to full load shedding from 25 May 2023, which means regions that were previously exempt from load shedding up to stage 4 will now see blackouts hit from stage 1.
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.
Meanwhile Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe and the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) have lost a court bid concerning an anti-nuclear activist.
In January this year, the Western Cape High Court ruled that the minister’s decision to fire anti-nuclear activist Peter Becker from the board of SA’s nuclear safety regulator.
The minister, the NNR and its chairperson subsequently lodged an application with the Western Cape High Court for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Judge Babalwa Pearl Mantame, however, stood by her initial ruling and on Friday, 26 May, refused to grant leave to appeal the matter.
“The test applied in an application for leave to appeal amongst others, suggests that there must be a sound and rational basis for the conclusion that there are prospects of success on appeal.”
She said: The respondents have not taken this court into its confidence and identified the compelling reasons why this matter should be heard by an appeal court, other than to give this court’s judgment their own meaning. The fact that they preferred their own interpretation to the comments and findings of the court could not be said to be a justifiable reason/s for the matter to be heard by an appeal court.
Mantame said that the court was “satisfied” that Mantashe and the other respondents had “failed” to meet the threshold or requirements that would allow them to be granted leave to appeal.