Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
10 April 2024 | 10:28 SAST
1-minute read

Picture: Pondoland Times

The National Rationalised Specifications (NRS) Association of South Africa has approved guidelines for loadshedding up to stage 16, raising concerns about a potential escalation in loadshedding. However, Eskom has allayed fears, explaining that there has not even been a need for stage 8 yet.

Nersa, responsible for setting guidelines for implementing load shedding, aims to prevent national blackouts or grid collapses. Professor Sampson Mamphweli, head of the Energy Secretariat at the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) told Radio Islam International that while Nersa’s code of practice extends to stage 16, its implementation is highly unlikely, with measures in place to prevent grid collapse even beyond stage 8.

“What I read in that document was simply a guideline that shows that under extreme emergency situations, this is how Eskom can implement load shedding. But it is not necessarily saying that Eskom is going to implement stage 16 load shedding. That is not going to happen,” Professor Mamphweli says.

Explaining stage 16 load shedding, Professor Mamphweli says that it would entail up to 20 hours of no electricity, requiring 80% of power station capacity to be shut down.

However, he reassured that Eskom has mechanisms to stabilise the grid, minimising the likelihood of reaching such extreme measures.

Regarding future projections, Professor Mamphweli says that challenges remain in maintaining grid reliability, despite improvements in energy availability and the deployment of renewable energy sources like solar PV, which has doubled in capacity from 3 000 MW to 6 000 MW.

There are ongoing initiatives to procure renewable energy and improve infrastructure improvements, Professor Mamphweli says. He projects that load shedding may not intensify to stage 6 or 8 in the near future, with potential improvements expected within the next 10 to 18 months.

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Junaid Kharsany here.