ESKOM has not met the targeted reduction in unplanned load losses, so there is no guarantee that load shedding up to stage 6 will be completely avoidable this summer.
The power utility briefed the media on its summer outlook on Wednesday.
Acting Eskom CEO Calib Cassim said: “Eskom is working to contain load shedding as low as possible, with the aim of not exceeding stage 4 by maintaining unplanned load losses within the 14 500 MW scenario for the 2023 summer outlook. We are not saying there will be no stage 6. If the unplanned outages increase to the outer scenarios of 17 500 then you would utilise stage 6 to protect the integrity of the grid.”
According to Eskom, their efforts would be focused on increasing the amount of available generation, by adding 2880MW from Kusile units, as well as supporting the system with diesel burn at the open cycle gas turbines (OCGT).
Eskom management noted that while Koeberg steam generator outages were progressing well and were expected to return on November 3, it would not make a direct impact on increasing available supply as Unit 2 will be taken offline shortly after Unit 1 returns.
Meanwhile, repairs to parts of the Western Cape affected by the recent storm were progressing well, Eskom distribution group executive Monde Bala said.
“(The) Eskom team has been working hard in the trying conditions, people in the Western Cape are going through hardships and we are with them in those hardships. Our teams are there working with the City of Cape Town to restore supply where it has been affected. I can confirm a significant part of the area has been restored.”
Cape Times