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Today Eskom releases its 336th update on the state of the power system. Eskom’s system status bulletin is released twice a week in line with its commitment to regular and transparent communication on the power system, which is expected to be constrained for the foreseeable future.

Eskom will implement stage 2 load shedding and load curtailment from 16:00 this afternoon, and this is likely to continue until 22:00 this evening.

The electricity supply system remains very vulnerable this week due to a shortage of generation capacity as several units are currently out of service for planned and unplanned maintenance. Eskom would like to assure customers that load shedding is implemented as a necessary measure to protect the power system. Any additional changes on the already vulnerable and constrained power system could lead to load shedding at short notice.

Eskom calls on all South Africans to pull together over the next few months and use electricity sparingly. Homeowners and businesses can do so with just four steps: first, switching off geysers and pool pumps; second, switching off non-essential lights; third, efficient use of air-conditioners by keeping the room temperature at 23⁰C; and finally, responding to the alerts on TV each evening.

Commercial customers, particularly shopping centres and office blocks, can also make a big difference by switching off non-essential lights and not leaving office equipment such as photocopiers and computers in standby mode after hours.

Eskom will use the published load shedding schedules which are available on the Eskom website (http://loadshedding.eskom.co.za) for Eskom customers. Eskom customers can also contact our customer call centre 0860 037 566.

Municipal customers should contact their municipalities for information.
Eskom will provide regular updates on the status of the power system through all the media platforms.

Trends in the supply and demand of power in South Africa are as follows:

Today (Monday 13 April): The capacity available to meet this evening’s peak demand is 29 528 MW (including open cycle gas turbines) while demand is forecast 31 806 MW. Current planned maintenance stands at 5 364 MW. Unplanned outages are 8 717 MW.

Peak demand and available capacity for the rest of this week is forecast at (please note that these are estimates and will likely differ from the actual figures):

Tuesday (14 April): The capacity available to meet tomorrow’s evening peak demand is 30 211 MW (including open cycle gas turbines) while demand is forecast 31 445 MW.

Wednesday (15 April): The capacity available to meet that evening’s peak demand is 30 211 MW (including open cycle gas turbines) while demand is forecast 31 596 MW.

Thursday (16 April): The capacity available to meet that evening’s peak demand is 30 111 MW (including open cycle gas turbines) while demand is forecast 31 670 MW.

Friday (17 April): The capacity available to meet that evening’s peak demand is 29 361 MW (including open cycle gas turbines) while demand is forecast 30 724 MW.

Saturday (18 April): The capacity available to meet that evening’s peak demand is 29 509 MW (including open cycle gas turbines) while demand is forecast 29 632 MW.

Sunday (19 April): The capacity available to meet that evening’s peak demand is 29 509 MW (including open cycle gas turbines) while demand is forecast 29 671 MW.

Yesterday (Sunday 12 April): Peak demand was reduced down to 27 019 MW with available capacity 30 244 MW (considering primary energy constraints).

Saturday (11 April): Peak demand of 30 221 MW met by available capacity of 29 504 MW (including open cycle gas turbines).

Friday (10 April): Peak demand of 30 385 MW managed by available capacity of 30 333 MW (including open cycle gas turbines) and significant use of "contracted" demand reduction.

Thursday (09 April): Peak demand of 30 623 MW managed by available capacity of 30 805 MW (including open cycle gas turbines) and significant use of "contracted" demand reduction.


Top saving tips at home:

There is a golden rule that applies to saving electricity in the home: If you’re not using it, switch it off.

By partnering with Eskom and changing the way we use energy everyday, you can make a difference to the electricity supply shortage in our country

Geyser – it guzzles 39% of your monthly energy usage. Switch it off to reduce your energy demand. Don’t forget to insulate the geyser and water pipes.

Shower – it uses less water than bathing and using less hot water means less work for the geyser. Use an energy efficient shower head since it uses less water.

Lighting – replace all your incandescent bulbs with energy saving Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) and switch off the lights in unoccupied rooms.

Standby electricity – don’t leave your TV, DVD player, etc. on stand-by mode, they still use up to 50% off their operating power. Rather switch them off at the power switch and don’t forget to unplug your cell phone charger after your phone has been charged or it will continue to draw power.

Refrigeration – close your fridge door quickly so it doesn’t use extra power to get back to its optimal cooling level.

Temperature control – keep the room temperature between 18°C - 23°C, this is known as the “golden zone”.

For additional tips on how to trim 10% off your consumption, visit http://www.eskom.co.za/sites/idm/Residential/Pages/Save10.aspx

Issued by Eskom