Power stable for festive season - Eskom
23 December 2014
Although constrained, South Africa's power system is expected to remain stable
for the rest of the festive season, according to power utility Eskom, which will use
the period for intensified maintenance.
"The power system is expected to remain constrained but stable this week and
the rest of the festive season and as a result the risk of load-shedding is low during
this period," the utility said in its system status bulletin on 18 December.
The system remains vulnerable, however, meaning that any extra load or faults in
the system may require load shedding.
"With many industries winding down their business for the festive season, coupled
with return to service of some of our power generating units and building up of our
emergency reserves, Eskom is cautiously confident that it will not have to implement
load shedding during this period," the utility said. "We will use this period of low
electricity demand to intensify
our plant maintenance programme."
Eskom called on South Africans to pull together over the next few months and
use electricity sparingly.
Addressing reporters at a state of the power system media briefing earlier in
December, Eskom chief executive Tshediso Matona said that 6 000 MW of power will
return to the grid this month. Although the prognosis for power supply over the
festive season was not poor, it could not rule out the possibility of load shedding.
The briefing came as South Africans across the country have been subjected to
periods of load shedding in recent weeks.
SAinfo reporter and SANews
The Kendal coal-fired power station in Mpumalanga. (Image: Media Club South Africa)
