Stage 2 load shedding confirmed as unit trips at Medupi

Stage 2 load shedding confirmed as unit trips at Medupi

Johannesburg - Power utility Eskom has announced Stage 2 load shedding after Unit 5 at the Medupi Power Station trip on Monday, leading to over 700MW of power being lost in the grid.

Eskom said it would release a comprehensive statement in due course.

Spokesperson Sikhonathi Mantshantsha said in a brief note to media: “Unit 5 of Medupi Power Station has just tripped, taking some 700MW capacity with. Regretfully, Stage 2 loadshedding has been implemented immediately. A full statement will be published in due course”.

Hours earlier, Eskom had warned of load shedding at short notice after power generations failed at several power stations.

It said four generation units had suffered breakdowns, while two other units which were expected to return to service had been delayed.

Eskom also blamed the unit failures on inclement weather, which it said had placed the power system under pressure.

“Eskom is working hard to return as many of these generation units to service as possible,” Matshantsha said earlier.

He said there was currently nearly 5000MW capacity on scheduled maintenance, while over 15 000MW was offline due to breakdowns.

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