Johannesburg is submerged in darkness during load-shedding . (AFP)
Eskom has implemented stage six load-shedding from midday on Friday until 5am on Monday because of a lack of generating capacity and insufficient emergency reserves. The utility said that it had lost five generating units in the past 24 hours.
“It is with great regret that, due to the shortage of generating capacity and emergency reserves, stage six load-shedding will be implemented from 12pm today until 5am on Monday.”
The power utility would issue further communications during the day while monitoring the power system, it said in a statement.
Earlier this week, Eskom warned about grid constraints, which led to it implementing stage four on Wednesday, as there had been an increase in plant breakdowns. It said that four units had not returned to service as planned
This is the first time Eskom has announced stage six since September. It coincides with Black Friday, when businesses are hoping to see a rise in trade.
The statement said that “unplanned outages are currently at 15 901 megawatts of generating capacity, while the capacity out of service for planned maintenance is 5 822MW”.
The utility said it was working to get generating units back online as soon as possible and thanked users for switching off geysers and pool pumps during peak hours.