Durban - The lights will be on for Christmas and the new year. This is according to Eskom.
This morning, Eskom said there has been no loadshedding for the last four days and the probability of loadshedding remains low until January 13 and is as a result of the expected decrease in demand as businesses and close down for the festive break.
"However heavy rains over the December to March period could impact coal handling and feeding to the boilers with a potential impact on generation production. While we do not anticipate loadshedding we continue to warn customers that as the system remains vulnerable, any shift could increase the probability of loadshedding. If there is a change, this will be communicated to residents," Eskom said.
Eskom added that they will continue to implement a short-to medium-term 9-point recovery programme that will see steady and sustained improvement in plant performance and coal stock levels.
During the December period, Eskom will intensify its maintenance activities in an effort to improve generation capacity for the return of businesses and industries in the new year. Steady progress has been made with regards to fixing coal stockpiles.
Thirty-five new coal contracts have been concluded between January and December 2018 for the supply of 18.6 Mt with a total contracted volume of 94Mt. In preparation for continuous rains, three days of compacted strategic stockpiles have been created at power stations.
"While we do not anticipate loadshedding over the holiday period, local power outages could occur not as a result of loadshedding but due to technical faults on the distribution network. If customers experience power outages they are advised to contact the Eskom Customer centre or their municipalities to allow for early restoration," Eskom said.
Eskom commended customers and stakeholders who continue to use electricity efficiently and for key industrial customers who participate in load curtailment.
"We also thank our employees who continue to remain dedicated and hard at work as they make personal sacrifices to keep the lights on for the benefit of all South Africans," Eskom said.
Daily News