Eskom released a statement on Tuesday saying the power utility noted with concern various social media posts claiming the country would soon be plunged into a blackout following the imminent collapse of the national electricity grid.
The statement said ‘Eskom refutes these claims and would like to assure South Africans that there are measures in place to avoid the collapse of the power system. Loadshedding is one of these mechanisms’.
Also read: WC government is ready for winter but loadshedding will hamper efforts
The flurry of social media posts Eskom referred to came after the National Regulatory Services Association of SA (NRS) proposed loadshedding schedules of up to stage 16 in the updated national rationalised specifications document entited voluntary NRS048-9 edition 3.
The current NRS048-9 edition 2 document which regulates current loadshedding schedule only permits up to stage 8 loadshedding.
This sent the country into panic mode, according to IOL which added that many energy experts say South Africa is, in reality, already in stage 10 loadshedding.
Additionally, EFF leader Julius Malema claimed the country was just weeks away from darkness on Monday. He said ‘In the next two weeks – we’ve been warned – there’s going to be darkness. We are almost at the point of grid collapse and it’s a reality South Africans must know’.
In its statement, however, Eskom said ‘the risk of a national blackout, while inherent to the operation of a large power system, has an extremely low likelihood of materialising given the implementation of a number of measures, including loadshedding’.
Also read: Essential items for your home that will help you survive loadshedding
The power utility added that at this stage, a complete loss of supply across the country would only occur in the result of unforeseen and sudden series of events causing a cascading collaps of the transmission or generation system.
According to the statement, ‘the grid is by no means at a higher or imminent risk of a collapse,’ echoeing acting group CEO Calib Cassim’s sentiments ‘that there are several controls in place and that he doesn’t lose sleep on the issue’.
In the statement, Eskom expressed confidence in the staff based in the system’s operator’s office, saying that they have had ‘the competence to manage the tight system for the past three years’.
‘Eskom continues to drive generation recovery initiatives which are aimed at preventing the current performance of the generation fleet in the long-term,’ continued the statement.
A State of System media briefing is scheduled later this week to give an update of the power system and share the outlook for winter including contingency plans to avoid higher stages of loadshedding.
Also read:
National grid under severe strain this winter, Eskom urges public to reduce demand
Picture: