South African power utility Eskom has started Stage 1 and Stage 2 loadshedding procedures, which means that it needs to shed up to 2,000 MW nationwide in order to face operational issues such as the deterioration of the domestic coal-fired power plants. The included power capacity is taken off the grid nationwide to prevent the collapse of the system.
Eskom suffers from significant financial difficulties and this is the first nationwide loadshedding exercise after months. It warns that the country will probably undergo more planned outages in the next few weeks. The company faced shortages at seven of its power plants in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province in April 2018. The company now struggles to support its coal-fired plants.
Eskom recently unveiled disappointing financial results and called for an increase in tariffs for consumers. The company has also halted its nuclear plans, being unable to say whether it can sustain nuclear projects in the future.
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