Cape Town – Load shedding remains on the cards indefinitely at this stage, as Eskom said the power system remains vulnerable.
This as the power utility continued with Stage 2 load shedding on Wednesday night until Thursday morning. It announced the possibility of a consecutive night to “replenish water resources for its pumped storage schemes and minimise the use of diesel at the open cycle gas turbines”.
“The power system remains vulnerable. While we were able to replenish water levels at the pumped storage schemes overnight we are currently using these emergency resources including diesel to meet demand today.
"In the event that we lose other generation units or are unable to bring back those that were out for maintenance, load shedding may be implemented earlier in the day. We will keep customers informed of the status of the power system,” Eskom said.
Speaking in Kimberley while drumming up support for the ANC’s 108th birthday celebrations, President Cyril Ramaphosa called on South Africans to give Eskom’s new chief executive, André de Ruyter, a chance to address the utility’s problems.
“The load shedding that keeps coming is because of the maintenance challenges. Those are known problems and we are addressing them.
"In the end, we will need to be maintaining those power stations so that we repair them and put them on a better footing,” Ramaphosa said.
Eskom again found itself in hot water with the public after it was reported that it had applied for R1.8 billion in bonuses, a claim it has denied.
“The MYPD4 application made by Eskom for the three-year period did not include any allocation for performance bonuses.
“The application included a provision for an annual bonus for the three-year period, which is equivalent to a 13th cheque” Eskom said.