Eskom keeps fingers crossed this weekend

UPDATE: DEMAND DOWN AS FACTORY WORKERS HAVE TIME OFF

Maintenance work is expected to end in the second or third week of May.

Although the power system is expected to remain relatively stable during this long weekend, Eskom says demand for electricity is still expected to be high, particularly between 5pm and 10pm.

Yesterday, Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe said the reason they did not expect great demand for power during the day was because companies and factories had given employees time off this weekend.

“However, we have realised there is always a big jump in demand in the late afternoon and evening, probably because that is the time when families prepare meals, have geysers on and switch on heaters as we have started experiencing drops in temperatures,” said Phasiwe.

“We hope there won’t be a need for load shedding this weekend,” the full capacity of power unit 6 of the Medupi power station is expected to produce by the end of next month

He said the maintenance drive was continuing.

Asked when the maintenance work is expected to end, Phasiwe said: “We are targeting the second or third week of May, as it is when we normally experience the first real cold winter snap.

“But I am sure that by then we would have made significant inroads in terms of reducing the maintenance backlog.”

One of the two units at Koeberg power station taken offline for maintenance in March was expected back online at the end of this month.

The unit has a generating capacity of 930MW and once back online, and running with the other unit, it will supply more than 1 800MW.

Unit 6 of the Medupi power station is expected to produce the full 800MW of power by the end of next month.

SA Weather Service forecaster Madimetja Thema said residents in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal could expect cool to warm weather conditions this weekend.

Those in the higher ground areas of the Western and Eastern Cape could expect cold conditions, with daytime temperatures set to peak between 14 and 17°C.

The demand for electricity is still expected to be high, particularly between 5pm and 10pm

Eskom