Eskom changes loadshedding plans for week: What to know [Updated]

27 October update: In another change to the loadshedding schedule for the week, Eskom has increased to Stage 4 power cuts.

Stage 4 will set in from 12pm on Wednesday and last until 5am on Friday. After this, Stage 2 will resume as planned until Saturday.

The power utility said that units at power stations had tripped, resulting in further power constraints.

#POWERALERT1

Regretfully Stage 4 loadshedding will be implemented from 12:00 on Wednesday until 05:00 on Friday; thereafter Stage 2 loadshedding will continue as previously communicated until 05:00 on Saturday pic.twitter.com/H7CR4bk0A0

— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) October 27, 2021

Original article below:

Eskom has announced changes to the loadshedding schedule for the next week, with rolling blackouts extended to Saturday 30 October.

Previously, Stage 2 loadshedding was meant to take place on Monday and Tuesday night, with no power cuts announced for the rest of the week.

However, the extension brings two changes: loadshedding will only end on Saturday, and power cuts will also take place during the day and continously.

Rather than being limited to evening and early morning hours, Eskom announced that the rolling blackouts would start a 9am on Tuesday morning (26 October) and end at 5am on Saturday.

#POWERALERT1

Stage 2 loadshedding will be implemented from 09:00 on Tuesday until 05:00 on Saturday pic.twitter.com/CBYXQsyKAv

— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) October 26, 2021

“While Eskom teams have succesfully returned a unit each to the Kusile, Matimba and Arnot power stations during the early hours of this morning, further delays in returning other units to service have exacerbated the capacity constraints, hampering the ability to replenish the emergency generation reserves,” Eskom said in a statement.

The power utility said that Koeberg Unit 1 should return to service over the weekend. Meanwhile, other power units will return to service during the week.

The City of Cape Town announced Stage 1 loadshedding between 10am and 10pm for City-supplied customers. It will implement Stage 2 between 10pm and 5am.

Eskom has announced the extension of load-shedding until 05:00 on Saturday 30 October. And starting this morning.

City customers:
Stage 1 – 10:00 until 22:00.
Stage 2 – 22:00 until 05:00

The City will update its customers again shortly.#CTInfo pic.twitter.com/DYVZ2WXfFR

— City of Cape Town (@CityofCT) October 26, 2021

Read more: Apps and tools to help you keep track of your loadshedding schedule and stages

Feature image: Matthew Henry/Unsplash