Diesel shortage sees Eskom ramp up load shedding to stage 4
Eskom has increased the frequency of power cuts to stage 4 from Sunday morning until at least Monday morning.
The embattled power utility says further breakdowns and the need to conserve diesel stocks have necessitated stage 4 load shedding.
Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said, in a short statement released on Sunday morning, that stage 4 load shedding would be effective immediately and suspended at 05:00 on Monday.
“This is to conserve the limited diesel stocks and to create space to replenish the dam levels in the pumped storage schemes,” he continued.
Eskom is experiencing a cash crunch and doesn’t have the funds to buy diesel.
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PetroSA gave the ailing SOE a lifeline in November and pumped 50 million liters of diesel to its open-cycle gas turbine facilities.
These stocks are said to have been depleted with Eskom reportedly asking National Treasury for an R19.5 billion cash injection to buy diesel.
Bloomberg reported that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana had already rejected the request.
“We don’t have it,” Godongwana told the publication.
Eskom is burning diesel at the speed of light with more than R11 billion spent in the 10 months to October on fuel.