Rustenburg - Load shedding will be downgraded from Stage 6 to Stage 5 at midnight, Eskom said on Monday.
"Overnight, we returned a unit each at Camden, Kriel, Kusile and Kendal, but unfortunately, had to take off a unit at Duvha, which developed a boiler tube leak. This means we will be able to reduce load shedding to Stage 5 at midnight. Further updates will be announced as soon as possible," the power utility said.
"Planned outages are 5411MW, and breakdowns currently amount to 16 326MW."
Eskom implemented Stage 6 load shedding on Sunday, following the tripping of a generation unit each at Kusile and Kriel power stations.
Stage 6 load shedding equates to at least six to eight hours without power per day, possibly in two-hour cycles.
Stage 5 load shedding meant around 5000 megawatts of electricity would be cut from the national grid in a staggered bid to prevent a complete grid collapse.
Meanwhile, Eskom said a fire ravaging at Kriel Mine in Mpumalanga would have no impact on the power station or load shedding.
The video below depicts a fire impacting a conveyor belt at Kriel Mine - not at the power station. This will have no impact on the power station as it is receiving coal from an open pit and by road. pic.twitter.com/RtYIXYey9N
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) September 19, 2022
"The video below depicts a fire impacting a conveyor belt at Kriel Mine - not at the power station. This will have no impact on the power station as it is receiving coal from an open pit and by road," Eskom said via a tweet, where it posted the video.
In the video, plumes of smoke could be seen, going as high as the nearby power pylons.
The electricity crisis has forced President Cyril Ramaphosa to cut short his visit to the United Kingdom.
He was due to attend the UN’s General Assembly after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, but he will now return home.
IOL