South Africa is heading for its longest stretch of power cuts yet after state utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. announced it will ration electricity from Friday afternoon until further notice.
Due to the failure of six generating units at five power plants, the need to conserve emergency generation reserves and a delay in the return to service of numerous generating units, Eskom will implement the so-called load shedding stage 2, removing 2,000 megawatts of the national network, the public service company said in a statement sent via WhatsApp.
That will make Saturday the 34th consecutive day of power rationing. The previous longest stretch was 33 days between September and October, according to Bloomberg calculations. Eskom has implemented power cuts in 176 days if 2022 as it tries to balance demand and supply that is hampered by aging power plants that continually break down.
The situation may worsen in the coming year.
Disruptions for planned maintenance and a project to extend the life of unit 1 of the Koeberg nuclear plant near Cape Town, as well as the collapse of a chimney at the Kusile coal station, will further reduce capacity. available and power outages will increase significantly over the next six to 12 months, Eskom said.
© 2022 Bloomberg L.P.
