Eskom has implemented higher stages of planned power cuts due to ongoing infrastructure failures at power generation facilities.
The troubled power utility said in a statement that it wasn’t sure how long this load shedding would last and that it was unlikely that the situation would improve by December 2023.
Stage 6 load shedding will be implemented until further notice, according to Eskom spokesperson Sikhonathi Mantshantsha. This was necessary because of the large number of breakdowns that have occurred since midnight and the need to strictly protect the remaining emergency generation reserves.
It’s anticipated that load shedding will continue through the end-of-year holidays. The European Union has set a deadline of 2030 for South African automakers to decarbonize their vehicles.