Eskom loadshedding to return: Hydro plant needs maintenance

From News24:

Cape Town – Eskom, which has managed to stave off load shedding for more than five weeks, warned that its daily supply from the Cahora Bassa hydroelectric scheme will be reduced by more than half to 650 MW from Monday.

This is due to planned maintenance it will undertake on the scheme together with Hidroelectrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB).

Electricity pylons are seen near Arnot Power Station's cooling towers, east of Middelburg in Mpumalanga province, September 8 2015. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
Electricity pylons are seen near Arnot Power Station’s cooling towers, east of Middelburg in Mpumalanga province, September 8 2015. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

South Africa is currently importing 1 500 MW from Cahora Bassa on a daily basis.

Read also: Brilliany analysis: Facts show Zuma is wrong about who to blame for Eskom

Eskom warned that the power system will be tight, particularly over the weekday evening peak periods from Tuesday 15 to Friday 18 September and said it will utilise its emergency reserves to augment the capacity shortfall as a result of this planned outage.

The maintenance is expected to be completed on Sunday, 20 September and the hydroelectric scheme is expected to be back on full power on Monday, 21 September.

Read also: ISS 2030 Scenario updated: Eskom problems put 2% cap on economic growth – for years

Eskom also warned of higher electricity consumption during the day as the weather begins to warm up. It called on all electricity users to continue using electricity sparingly and especially decreased usage of air-conditioners, geysers and pool pumps to reduce the risk of load shedding. – Fin24

Source: http://www.fin24.com/Economy/Eskom/Cahora-Bassa-could-flip-switch-on-load-shedding-20150914

GoHighLevel