Mteto Nyati has moved to allay fears that recently published guidelines by energy regulator Nersa that make provision for up to 16 stages of load shedding are a foretaste of what’s to come.with Gauteng radio station 702 on Wednesday, referring to the severest stages of planned power interruptions tabled by Nersa.
Nersa released the draft “Electricity Supply – Quality of Supply” codes of practice earlier this month. Part 9 of the document, which outlines the 16 stages of load shedding, deals with protocols for load reduction and system restoration “under power system emergencies”.Failures in generation, distribution or transmission control systems;Disruptions to critical resources such as coal, gas and liquid fuel; and“Emergencies are inherently unpredictable.
He did acknowledge, however, that the public’s scepticism regarding load shedding is justified, given that Eskom has “consistently in the past not met the hopes” of citizens for reliable electricity supply.