Eskom published the loadshedding schedule for the weekend starting on Friday, 21 July 2023, which forecasts recurring evening shifts of Stage 4 outages.
UPDATE: On Friday, 21 July 2023, Eskom escalated loadshedding to Stage 5 from 16:00 until midnight “due to higher than anticipated demand.” See the updated schedule below.
Weekend loadshedding schedule starting Friday, 21 July 202
On Wednesday, 19 July 2023, Eskom upgraded the daytime schedule to a pattern of Stage 2 loadshedding during the day and Stage 4 in the evenings “due to the breakdowns of eight generating units on Tuesday evening.”
In a statement, the power utility revealed daytime outages will be dropped to Stage 2 on Thursday, from Stage 3, and in the evenings, rotational blackouts will remain at Stage 4 well into the weekend.
“The delay in returning to service a generating unit each at Kendal, Kriel, Matla and two generating units at Tutuka power stations is contributing to the current capacity constraints,” Eskom explained.
Therefore, this weekend, Eskom clients will be placed on a patterned loadshedding schedule of Stage 2 during the day and Stage 4 in the evenings.
Here’s a look at the weekend loadshedding schedule starting Friday, 21 July 2023:
| Date | Morning Peak (05:00 – 16:00) | Evening Peak (16:00 – 05:00) |
| Friday 21 July 2023 | Stage 2* | Stage 5* |
| Saturday 22 July 2023 | Stage 4* | Stage 4* |
| Sunday 23 July 2023 | Stage 4* | Stage 4* |
Update on breakdowns and available capacity
On Wednesday, Eskom reported more than 19 127MW of generation capacity lost to breakdowns, with an additional 2 313MW offline due to several units placed out of commission for planned maintenance.
Since Wednesday, Eskom’s generation fleet lost a generating unit each at Kendal, Kriel, Matla and two generating units at Tutuka power stations.
“Demand of electricity is expected to increase towards the weekend. Therefore, we appeal to the members of the public to assist in reducing demand by switching off non-essential appliances,” the power utility wrote.
Here is a snapshot of Eskom’s energy availability, observed from the evening peak period of Tuesday, 18 July 2023:
