By Annisa Essack
13:09:2022

ESKOM stated at a media briefing yesterday that the standard and quality of maintenance work at its power stations are not up to par; thus, there is no good news regarding load shedding.

For the next 12 months, South Africa will not profit from the government’s energy security initiatives. Stage 2 load shedding was enforced by ESKOM last week, while Stage 4 load shedding was implemented over the weekend.

The South African National Energy Development Institute pleads with everyone to conserve electricity.

Dr Karen Surridge, Acting General Manager at SANEDI, spoke to Radio Islam International providing some valuable tips for saving electricity and money.

The South African National Development Institute (SANEDI) was established by the government to direct, monitor, and conduct energy research to find evidence-driven energy solutions to build the economy and lead to energy security for South Africa.

Surridge says ensuring that benefit is derived from the solutions can make considerable differences in ensuring that power cuts are less frequent. She added that people must work together and realise that a minor contribution could lessen the burden on ESKOM.

Citizens need to become more energy efficient to keep the grid stable. Simply turning off the lights or devices that are not required can ensure that the load is lessened, thereby preserving the need for power cuts at a minimum. Surridge says that it is not only about keeping the grid stable but also about being compassionate to each other.

On the outlook of how often load shedding could occur in the country, she says essential maintenance is necessary, and there are also unplanned breakdowns; thus, we can’t rule blackouts out over the next 12 months.

Being aware and disciplined regarding usage in our homes and businesses will ensure we keep load shedding at the lower stages and, hopefully, end it altogether.

[LISTEN] to the podcast here