Eskom power cuts this weekend as cold front rolls in

Eskom has announced that Stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented between 17:00 and 22:00 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the 21st and 22nd of May 2022.

The power utility had previously expected to run load-shedding until Friday. However, there is still a substantial shortage of generation capacity, resulting in Eskom having to extend the power cuts.

“As previously communicated, due to the continued shortage of generation capacity Stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented from 17:00 until 22:00 tonight,” Eskom said.

“Loadshedding will be repeated at the same time on Saturday and Sunday evenings.”

While the generation situation appears to have improved slightly from 19,159MW of outages on Monday, there is still a substantial shortage of generation capacity during the evening peaks.

Eskom spokesperson, Sikonathi Mantshantsha, posted generation figures on Thursday, 20 May 2022, revealing that the power utility still had to shed 2,228MW during the evening peaks.

The power utility continues to urge South Africans to use electricity sparingly.

“Eskom appeals to all South Africans to help limit the impact of load-shedding by reducing the usage of electricity and to switch off all non-essential items,” Eskom said.

“Eskom would like to remind the public that load-shedding is implemented only as a last resort to protect the national grid.”

It said it would notify the public of any significant changes.

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