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"contents": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the 75th day of power cuts so far this year, Eskom announced that Stage 3 rolling blackouts would continue until Thursday, 29 September, with Stage 4 being implemented during evening peaks between 4pm and midnight.</span>\r\n<h4><b>Why are we living in never-ending darkness?</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite its standard excuses of planned maintenance being carried out to some units (5,897MW) and other units unavailable due to breakdowns (a whopping 16,739MW), Eskom said it was struggling to get diesel from its supplier. This means it can’t operate two of its open cycle gas turbines — which means another 2,000MW of power off the grid.</span>\r\n\r\n<iframe class=\"scribd_iframe_embed\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Power Alert 1 - 25 September 2022\" src=\"https://www.scribd.com/embeds/596619002/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-bXvPQBY4pYmB1pRQPy6C\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" data-auto-height=\"true\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.7729220222793488\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Segomoco Scheppers, the group executive for transmission at Eskom, said </span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">at the </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-09-23-sa-signs-agreements-with-three-independent-power-producers-but-is-it-too-little-too-late/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">signing ceremony</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on Thursday, 22 September, for three </span><a href=\"https://www.ipp-renewables.co.za/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> projects that </span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the then unavailable 21,000MW was </span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“a painfully high number. If half of that was available, we would not be here.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He added: “It is not a quick or easy thing [to resolve]. But it’s certainly receiving attention because if we were not having these high levels of breakdowns, we would not be having the load shedding today.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Friday, 23 September, Eskom said the Stage 5 and Stage 4 rolling blackouts planned for the weekend would be used to replenish the pumped storage dam levels that had been used extensively in the past week. </span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1407237\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/WhatsApp-Image-2022-09-25-at-5.00.33-PM.jpeg\" alt=\"diesel eskom\" width=\"720\" height=\"493\" /> Graph illustrating energy availability factor (EAF) for Eskom’s coal fleet. (Source: Eskom data | graph: Clyde Mallinson)</p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The state-owned power utility said constraints from its diesel suppliers had affected the availability of bulk diesel to the Ankerlig and Gourikwa open cycle gas turbines, which have a combined capacity of 2,000MW.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Sunday, Eskom said it was still experiencing “constraints” from its diesel supplier.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“While we expect diesel deliveries from Tuesday onwards, should this uncertainty of supply persist, higher stages of load shedding may be required,” said Eskom in a </span><a href=\"https://www.eskom.co.za/stage-3-loadshedding-will-continue-to-be-implemented-between-0000-and-1600-until-thursday-while-stage-4-loadshedding-will-be-implemented-daily-during-the-evening-peaks-from-1600-until-0000/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">statement</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“While some generation units are anticipated to return to service, it is necessary to continue the load shedding to conserve emergency generation reserves,” Eskom said. </span><b>DM</b>\r\n<div style=\"width: 100%; height: 400px;\" data-tf-widget=\"K2ptFXjT\" data-tf-inline-on-mobile=\"\" data-tf-iframe-props=\"title=How are you surviving Stage 6? Have you exited the Eskom grid\" data-tf-medium=\"snippet\" data-tf-disable-auto-focus=\"\"></div>\r\n<script src=\"//embed.typeform.com/next/embed.js\"></script>",
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"description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the 75th day of power cuts so far this year, Eskom announced that Stage 3 rolling blackouts would continue until Thursday, 29 September, with Stage 4 being implemented during evening peaks between 4pm and midnight.</span>\r\n<h4><b>Why are we living in never-ending darkness?</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite its standard excuses of planned maintenance being carried out to some units (5,897MW) and other units unavailable due to breakdowns (a whopping 16,739MW), Eskom said it was struggling to get diesel from its supplier. This means it can’t operate two of its open cycle gas turbines — which means another 2,000MW of power off the grid.</span>\r\n\r\n<iframe class=\"scribd_iframe_embed\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Power Alert 1 - 25 September 2022\" src=\"https://www.scribd.com/embeds/596619002/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-bXvPQBY4pYmB1pRQPy6C\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" data-auto-height=\"true\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.7729220222793488\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Segomoco Scheppers, the group executive for transmission at Eskom, said </span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">at the </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-09-23-sa-signs-agreements-with-three-independent-power-producers-but-is-it-too-little-too-late/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">signing ceremony</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on Thursday, 22 September, for three </span><a href=\"https://www.ipp-renewables.co.za/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> projects that </span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the then unavailable 21,000MW was </span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“a painfully high number. If half of that was available, we would not be here.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He added: “It is not a quick or easy thing [to resolve]. But it’s certainly receiving attention because if we were not having these high levels of breakdowns, we would not be having the load shedding today.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Friday, 23 September, Eskom said the Stage 5 and Stage 4 rolling blackouts planned for the weekend would be used to replenish the pumped storage dam levels that had been used extensively in the past week. </span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1407237\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"720\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-1407237\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/WhatsApp-Image-2022-09-25-at-5.00.33-PM.jpeg\" alt=\"diesel eskom\" width=\"720\" height=\"493\" /> Graph illustrating energy availability factor (EAF) for Eskom’s coal fleet. (Source: Eskom data | graph: Clyde Mallinson)[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The state-owned power utility said constraints from its diesel suppliers had affected the availability of bulk diesel to the Ankerlig and Gourikwa open cycle gas turbines, which have a combined capacity of 2,000MW.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Sunday, Eskom said it was still experiencing “constraints” from its diesel supplier.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“While we expect diesel deliveries from Tuesday onwards, should this uncertainty of supply persist, higher stages of load shedding may be required,” said Eskom in a </span><a href=\"https://www.eskom.co.za/stage-3-loadshedding-will-continue-to-be-implemented-between-0000-and-1600-until-thursday-while-stage-4-loadshedding-will-be-implemented-daily-during-the-evening-peaks-from-1600-until-0000/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">statement</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“While some generation units are anticipated to return to service, it is necessary to continue the load shedding to conserve emergency generation reserves,” Eskom said. </span><b>DM</b>\r\n<div style=\"width: 100%; height: 400px;\" data-tf-widget=\"K2ptFXjT\" data-tf-inline-on-mobile=\"\" data-tf-iframe-props=\"title=How are you surviving Stage 6? Have you exited the Eskom grid\" data-tf-medium=\"snippet\" data-tf-disable-auto-focus=\"\"></div>\r\n<script src=\"//embed.typeform.com/next/embed.js\"></script>",
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Graph illustrating energy availability factor (EAF) for Eskom’s coal fleet. (Source: Eskom data | graph: Clyde Mallinson)