Load shedding is back, as we all know. It’s become so much of an expectation, in fact, that even regular power outages are now dismissed as scheduled load shedding. As Gauteng continues to endure stormy weather conditions as a byproduct of tropical storm Eloise and a forecasted cold front, Eskom is now reporting incidences of wet coal – further contributing to the power provider’s struggles to provide continuous power.

According to an article on My Broadband, Eskom has announced that “Typically, heavy rainfall for four or less days does not pose a significant threat to power station operations, but continuous rainfall for more than four days does hamper coal handling at the power stations … There are some power stations in the Mpumalanga area that have been experiencing ash dam constraints … Continuous heavy rainfall over these power stations could hamper operations and recovery efforts are underway”.

With the already severely constrained system floundering to keep up with electricity demand in the country, many provinces and cities are reporting severe losses as a result of lost productivity and further damage to infrastructure. 

IOL, for example, reports that the City of Tshwane has spent “[a] staggering R12.5 million … last year to repair its electricity infrastructure after it was damaged by the impact of Eskom’s load shedding.” Chief of Staff Jordan Griffiths claims that “municipal power infrastructure was negatively affected by load shedding because it was not designed to be switched off and on for multiple times during the course of the day.”

The Daily Maverick has detailed eThekwini’s vision to free itself from reliance on Eskom: “By 2030 the metro wants 40% of all energy to come from sources other than Eskom, and by 2050 it aims to be 100% reliant on clean energy sources.”

With load shedding looking to be part of our lives for years to come, it’s definitely wise to start investing in alternative power solutions. Titan Electrical service professionals will be