According to forecasts, electricity demand is expected to increase significantly over the evening peak on Monday owing to cold weather, with “no cushioning” should anything unexpected occur, energy utility Eskom has cautioned.

“We urge customers to reduce their electricity use, especially in the early evening between 17:30 and 18:30, as the power grid is expected to be under severe pressure during this time,” it said in a biweekly system update on Monday.

The system was expected to remain tight over the evening peaks for the rest of the week owing to the cold weather.

The capacity available to meet Monday evening’s peak demand was 35 000 MW, including that from the open-cycle gas turbines, while demand was forecast at 34 718 MW. Current planned maintenance stood at 2 700 MW, while unplanned outages were at 5 400 MW.