Eskom has issued a warning that load shedding may be implemented suddenly as a result of many problems at its Kriel Power Station.
After at least six weeks of daily power outages, the power utility lifted load shedding on Saturday.
“The high voltage yard at Kriel Power Station had two electrical problems in short succession in the wee hours of [Monday] morning.
Investigative work is being done on the problem, which seems to be connected to the time’s intense mist circumstances.
“The power station’s units 1, 2, and 3 were shut down by the first fault, while units 4 and 5 were shut down by the second fault.
At the time, Unit 6 was not online. According to Eskom, the incident eliminated more than 2000MW of generation capacity from the network.
Teams are “working diligently to restore service to as many of the units as possible,” according to the electrical company.
Although some of the generation units at other power plants are anticipated to start up again during the day, it will take some time for them to fill up to capacity.
Load shedding may need to be introduced quickly if there is any further loss of generation capacity during the day or if some units do not restart as expected.
In order to protect the national grid, load shedding is only used as a last resort, Eskom would like to remind the public.
So, we implore everyone in South Africa to continue using electricity sparingly, especially now that the power system is unstable. If a communication is required, Eskom will do it swiftly, the company stated.