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Eskom has admitted to exceeding the stage 4 load shedding limits, which according to energy advisor Ted Blom shows that the energy company is lying about the stage they have implemented.
This year, South Africa experienced the worst cargo drop it has ever seen, with 49 days of blackouts to date.
According to Eskom’s announcements, the load reduction peaked in stage 4, but Blom noted that the power company passed stage 4 in September.
Official information shared by Eskom showed load shedding of 5,359MW on Wednesday September 2 and 5,642MW on Thursday September 3.
This far exceeds the load shedding of stage 4, which “allows eliminating up to 4,000 MW of the national load.”
Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha denied allegations that Eskom is deliberately misleading the public about the load shedding stages it is implementing.
He confirmed the accuracy of the load shedding statistics released on September 2 and 3, but said the load reduction should also be taken into account.
“Once Eskom declares Phase 4 load shedding, it can ask any major industrial customer to reduce load by up to 20%,” Mantshantsha said.
“This equates to 1,200MW of demand that industrial customers must reduce as part of the authorized load restriction.”
“Load shedding is what Eskom throws out of the public, and that’s what Eskom announced on Stage 4 on Thursday.”
However, when pressed on the amount of load shedding that actually occurred on Thursday, Mantshantsha said that “Eskom dumped 4,400MW on the day in question.”
This is equivalent to stage 5 load shedding based on Eskom’s own definitions. However, Mantshantsha did not respond to a question about whether the energy company implemented stage 5 load shedding.
It is unclear why Eskom refused to admit that it implemented stage 5 load shedding, as this could cause confusion among consumers.
Blom accused Eskom of being misleading in his responses and of trying to downplay the severity of the cargo shedding in South Africa.
Definitions of the Eskom load shedding stage
Eskom explains the different stages of shedding on its website and in the documentation that it makes available to the public and city councils.
These are the current definitions of load shedding for Stage 1 through Stage 8.
- Stage 1 allows to eliminate up to 1000 MW of the national load.
- Stage 2 allows eliminating up to 2,000 MW of national load.
- Stage 3 allows to detach up to 3,000 MW of the national load.
- Stage 4 allows up to 4,000 MW of national load to be released.
- Stage 5 allows to eliminate up to 5,000 MW of the national load.
- Stage 6 allows to detach up to 6,000 MW of the national load.
- Stage 7 allows to detach up to 7,000 MW of the national load.
- Stage 8 allows to detach up to 8,000 MW of the national load.
In accordance with these definitions, and after taking into account the load reduction of 1,200MW, on September 2 and 3 the load shedding of stage 5 was implemented.
The following table provides an overview of the load reduction implemented in early September.
| Eskom load shedding | |||
| Date | Cargo shed | What Eskom announced | Definition of load shedding |
| September 1st | 2,192MW | Stage 2 | Stage 3 |
| September 2 | 5,359MW | Stage 4 | Stage 5 (with reduction) |
| September 3 | 5,642MW | Stage 4 | Stage 5 (with reduction) |
| 4th of September | 3,114MW | Stage 3 | Stage 4 |
Eskom must be honest with the public – Blom
Blom said there is a “big difference between being forced to remove 4,000 MW (13%) of total demand and 6,000 MW (20%).”
“If the energy company is below 20% of the needs of the economy, it is a national disaster and requires immediate intervention,” he said.
According to Blom, Eskom has lied to the public about this year’s load reduction days and the level of load reduction.
He added that Eskom is also not telling the truth about how long the overhaul program will take and the level of overhaul performed during lockdown level 5.
“In short, the public has called Eskom pathological liars with many examples over the last decade,” said Blom.
Blom said Eskom leaders should take extra precautions to make sure they are “100% correct and stop playing cat and mouse with the public.”
Sikonathi Mantshantsha load shedding data
Comments from Evening Peak on 01/09/2020
Total demand: 32,327MW at 18:33
Load spill: 2,192 MW
Number of @Eskom_SA Open cycle gas turbines: 14
OCGT Independent Power Producer: 6
Renewable generation: 1,146 MW (wind 954 MW, CSP 192 MW)
Eskom supply: 30 060MW– SikonathiMantshantsh (@SikonathiM) September 1, 2020
Night Peak Comments
Total maximum demand at 18:28 on 02/09/2020:
33 359MW
Load spill: 5,359MW
Number of @Eskom_SA Open cycle gas turbines used: 9
Number of OCGTs of IPPs used: 6
Renewable generation: 699MW (546MW wind, 153MW CSP)
Available supply from Eskom: 30,755MW– SikonathiMantshantsh (@SikonathiM) September 2, 2020
Comments from Evening Peak on 03/09/2020 at 18:39
Total demand: 33,638MW
Cargo spill: 5 642MW
Renewable generation: 726MW (520MW wind, 206MW CSP)
Unused open cycle gas turbines@Eskom_SA Generation available: 30 251MW– SikonathiMantshantsh (@SikonathiM) September 3, 2020
Comments from Evening Peak 04/09/2020 at 18:41
Total demand: 30,164MW
Number of OCGTs used: 0
Load spill: 3 114MW
Renewable generation: 803MW (wind 637MW, CSP 166MW)@Eskom_SA Supply: 29 436MW– SikonathiMantshantsh (@SikonathiM) September 4, 2020
Now read: Eskom accused of lying about shedding loads
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