South Africa: Eskom to resume load shedding July 14

Event

The public utility company Eskom announced that load shedding would occur on its network from 09:00 (local time) on Tuesday, July 14, due to continued heavy demand on the power grid. Load shedding had occurred on Monday, July 13, until 22:00 despite the Koeberg power station being brought back online. Breakdowns at the Kriel and Medupi plants have put further pressure on the power grid, with Eskom stating that further load shedding could not be avoided despite the reactivation of the Koeburg plant. Eskom has appealed to the public to reduce the demand placed on the grid.

Context

Load shedding was suspended in March due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. However, an increase in pressure on the power grid due to winter conditions, the reopening of industries following an easing of COVID-19 restrictions, and breakdown at power plants have placed pressure on the power grid, exacerbating issues arising from the lagging maintenance and lack of investment in electricity production infrastructure.

Advice

Those in affected areas are advised to monitor the situation, keep battery-operated devices fully charged whenever possible, and to be cautious when driving or crossing streets if traffic signals are not functioning.