Eskom, the state-owned energy company, has announced that Stage 2 load shedding will be in effect on Wednesday and Thursday from 4 p.m. until midnight.
Eskom had issued a warning on Tuesday afternoon that load shedding would continue into the evening owing to shortfalls in generating capacity at several of its power plants.
A total of 14 637 MW of electricity were being lost due to breakdowns by Wednesday afternoon, while 4 550 MW were lost due to scheduled maintenance.
The failure of a generating unit at Duvha, Kendal, and Kriel power plants over the course of the previous 24 hours, as well as delays in getting units back into service at Arnot, Kusile, and Tutuka power stations, have placed a significant pressure on the electricity generation system, according to Eskom.
Meanwhile, the power company said that despite having put additional units back in operation, load shedding could still not be avoided.
“Eskom crews have put one unit back into operation at the Arnot and Tutuka power plants over the same time frame.
Even though a generating unit at each of the three power plants—Kriel, Majuba, and Tutuka—is anticipated to restart within the next 24 hours, load shedding will still occur on Thursday afternoon, according to Eskom.
South Africans have been encouraged to use power cautiously for the time being.