Johannesburg - Eskom does not expect to implement load shedding on Sunday, the state-owned power company said in an update on the electricity supply situation.
Eskom was using emergency generation reserves to supplement supply, as there had been some "unplanned breakdowns" on Saturday, the parastatal said in a statement.
Additional generation units were planned to return to service early next week, which would improve the power system outlook for the coming week. This would further reduce the possibility of load shedding.
"We remind customers, however, that the generation system remains constrained, vulnerable, and unpredictable. As such, load shedding could be implemented at short notice if there is a change in the generation system performance. We request customers to continue using electricity sparingly to help curb demand."
"Unplanned breakdowns" or outages were at 11,497 MW as at 4.15pm on Saturday afternoon and planned maintenance outages were at 6213 MW.
"Eskom reminds South Africans that there is a possibility of increased load shedding over the next 18 months as we are conducting critical maintenance to restore the ageing plant to good health."
In a statement issued on Friday, it said some generation units are planned to return to service early next week, which will further improve the power system outlook for the coming week.
"We remind customers, however, that the generation system remains constrained, vulnerable and unpredictable. As such, loadshedding could be implemented at short notice if there is a change in the generation system performance. We request customers to continue using electricity sparingly to help curb demand," Eskom said.
Tips to save on electricity use:
• Set air-conditioners’ average temperature at 23ºC
• Switch off your geysers over peak periods
• Use the cold water tap rather than using the geyser every time
• Set your swimming pool pump cycle to run twice a day, three hours at a time
• At the end of the day, turn off computers, copiers, printers and fax machines at the switch.