The ailing power utility is in crisis, battling to fix broken coal-fired power plants and replenish its diesel and pumped storage water emergency capacity.
FED-UP South Africans have taken to social media to vent their frustration at being plunged into Stage 6 load shedding due to mounting breakdowns at Eskom.
The ailing power utility is in crisis, battling to fix broken coal-fired power plants and replenish its diesel and pumped storage water emergency capacity.
Eskom says it will be going to the market, possibly this week, to source up to 1,000MW of power.
This is according to Eskom chief executive André de Ruyter, who said in a briefing on Sunday that the additional 1,000MW would likely be sourced from companies who already have their own installed capacity, such as some mining groups and Sappi.
He said the intention was to bring this capacity online as quickly as possible. The procurement of new generation capacity is the competency of the government.
Eskom’s chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer said the outlook for electricity generation for the rest of this week was uncertain, taking into account that some 15 percent of the utility’s total generation capacity, including the emergency capacity, would remain out on planned maintenance.
Eskom announced on Monday that load shedding – currently at Stage 6 as of Sunday morning – will be reduced to Stage 5 at midnight.
Eskom’s customers though – the greater business community in South Africa, and its citizens – appear to be having none of it, with many taking to Twitter to express their dismay at the energy crisis the country is facing.
Many have called for De Ruyter’s head to roll, along with other leadership at the power utility.
Take a look at what Twitter users had to say about the current energy situation in the country:
– BUSINESS REPORT
