Weekend power cuts probable

ESKOM has warned of minor power cuts this weekend. Technical faults at some power stations could cause increased electricity demand and result in a shortage of generation capacity. The utility said the country should expect stage 1 load shedding – to save at least 1 000 megawatts from the grid. Eskom said, however, that the chances of stage 1 escalating were minimal as the power utility had 96 percent of its total power supply for the rest of the country. But the utility warned that, should the situation change, stage 2 load shedding – for a cut of up to 2 000MW – could be implemented at short notice. – Staff Reporter