Hill-Lewis says return of load shedding a concern, as CoCT protects residents from at least 2 stages of power cuts
FILE: Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. Picture: Supplied
CAPE TOWN - The City of Cape Town is protecting its electricity customers from two stages of load shedding, as Eskom implemented stage 3 power cuts on Friday.
On Friday morning, the power utility warned of possible power cuts after 311 days of consistent supply and on Friday afternoon it was confirmed by Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramakgopa.
He said that Eskom had no choice and had to restore depleted emergency reserves.
"We had a situation at two of our best-performing power stations, Matimba and Lethabo, where we had a number of units failing at the beginning of the week. So, that's the second matrix in the perfect storm and the third one was that there were other units that delayed in coming back, so as a result of that, that meant that for most of the week, we were burning diesel."
However, Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has indicated the metro is able to provide some relief.
"The City of Cape Town will immediately activate two stages of load shedding protection for residents until 10pm tonight and all through noon on Saturday. Throughout the weekend, we will protect the city from at least one and sometimes two stages of load shedding."
He added that the development was worrying.
"We are very concerned about Eskom's sudden announcement of the return of blackouts. Load shedding has a huge economic impact, which is why we are continuing to build our own energy security in Cape Town through independent power purchasers and grid investments."