Eskom published the weekend loadshedding schedule starting on Friday, which forecasts reduced stages of rotational outages.
UPDATE: On Sunday, 8 October 2023, Eskom announced changes to this week’s loadshedding schedule. See the updates below.
Weekend loadshedding schedule starting Friday, 6 October 2023
On Thursday, 5 October 2023, Eskom confirmed that the week-long temporary suspension of loadshedding will come to an end.
From 05:00 on Friday, loadshedding will be implemented at a permanent Stage 2 until further notice.
This, the power utility, explained, was due to “the loss of four generation units and the need to replenish reserves in preparation for the week ahead.”
Here’s a look at the weekend loadshedding schedule starting Friday, 6 October 2023:
| Date | Morning Peak (05:00 – 16:00) | Evening Peak (16:00 – 05:00) |
| Friday 6 Oct 2023 | Stage 2 | Stage 2 |
| Saturday 7 Oct 2023 | Stage 1 | Stage 1 |
| Sunday 8 Oct 2023 | Suspended | Suspended* |
Update on breakdowns and available capacity
On Monday, 2 October 2023, Eskom reported more than 12 983MW of generation capacity lost to breakdowns, with an additional 5 388MW offline due to several units placed out of commission for planned maintenance.
Here is a snapshot of Eskom’s energy availability, observed from the evening peak period of Wednesday, 4 October 2023:
