Eskom suspends load shedding until Sunday

Eskom has suspended load shedding until 4pm on Sunday as a result of lower electricity demand.

However, stage 1 power cuts kicks in at 4pm on Sunday until further notice.

Eskom acting spokesperson Aubrey Sambo said there has been a lower than expected demand for electricity.

Schedule

“Following the return to service of three generating units today, load shedding will remain suspended until 16:00 on Sunday, 07 January 2024 when stage 1 load shedding will be implemented. Eskom will announce the outlook for the week ahead on Sunday and will communicate should any significant changes occur.”

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Koeberg

Meanwhile, Eskom this week announced that the full load rejection test that was performed on Unit 1 of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station was successfully completed.

This was the final test that needed to be performed following the installation of the new steam generators, in accordance with the South African Grid Code (SAGC) requirements.

Eskom said the purpose of the full load rejection test was to verify and demonstrate the ability of the unit to supply its auxiliary load and return to steady state conditions following a sudden disconnection from the national grid.

“The successful completion of the test serves as an encouragement as Eskom plans to undertake similar steam generator replacement activities on Unit 2,” it said.

Units

Eskom synchronised Unit 1 at the Koeberg Power Station with the grid last month following the longest outage in the station’s history, during which three original steam generators were replaced with new ones.

The parastatal originally planned to bring the unit 1 back online by June 2023 but it suffered multiple delays.

Unit 2 was taken offline to undergo a similar mechanical process of having its steam generators replaced.

Each unit of Koeberg generates 900MW when the plant is operating optimally, equal to two load-shedding stages.

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