What are the New Load-shedding Stages From 8-16?

The NRS Association of South Africa recently announced new load-shedding stages, extending from Stages 8-16. The update comes as South Africa faces increasing threats to energy access and a struggling electric grid. 

Below, learn what the new load-shedding stages mean for your household, when to expect outages at each stage, and how to ensure an alternative power source is available during blackouts.

Nersa Approves New Load-Shedding Stages Up to Stage 16

In early April 2024, South African energy regulator Nersa approved and published a revised version of the NRS 048-9 Code of Practice, which now includes a plan for load shedding up to stage 16. While it remains unlikely that South Africa will ever need to utilise the highest load-shedding stages, this new information from Nersa means a plan is in place if a potential emergency occurs.

The new code divides South Africa’s electricity grid into 16 blocks with similar load profiles, each representing 6.5% of the country’s total energy demand. While 20% of each block’s demand is deemed a critical use of energy, 5% of each block is also considered excess that can be shed per stage. 

While the previous editions of this Code of Practice only went as far as Stage 8, the new edition shows a schedule for what will happen if outages are severe enough to move past Stage 8 to Stage 16. 

What Are the Stages of Load Shedding?

Here’s what the updated guidelines outline as the new stages of load shedding:

How will your household and community experience load shedding? Blocks of time without power will increase by 2 hours at each stage up until stage 12, which features four 6-hour blocks. 

At stage 13 and beyond, the blocks begin to merge, with customers experiencing blocks of 14 hours at a time without power (a 6-hour block + an 8-hour block, consecutively). Once reaching stage 16, power is completely shut off.

Here’s what it would look like:

How Will the New Load-Shedding Stages Impact Households?

The new load-shedding stages won’t impact households much differently in stages 1-8, but they will see extended blocks without power in stages 9 through 16. 

Here’s the breakdown of what it will be like for different stages throughout the plan and how you can utilise alternative energy sources like EcoFlow Solar Generators to get through the periods of outages.

In stages 1-3, power outages will last two hours at a time, occurring three times each day or in a 32-hour cycle. During these short bursts without power, you can use a smaller backup power option such as the EcoFlow DELTA 2 + 400W Solar Panel. It can power most appliances and devices, so you can continue with your essential tasks even when the grid shuts down.

In stages 4-5, about 12 power outages will last four days, two hours at a time. They may also run about 12 outages lasting eight days, four hours at a time. Again, you can continue to use your EcoFlow DELTA 2 + 400W Solar Panel. 

In load shedding stages 6 and beyond, more than 6000MW is shed several times each day, occurring for several hours at a time over four days. At this time, you should consider a more extensive whole-home backup solution like a load-shedding kit.

Once you hit load-shedding stages 8 to 16, blocks of time begin to merge, and households experience longer stretches without power. If South Africa ever reaches these stages, you’ll want to have a reliable whole-home backup solution, such as the EcoFlow DELTA Pro + 400W Solar Panel, ready to go so you can continue your daily activities.

Are Higher Load Shedding Stages Like Stage 16 Likely?

While we all hope we’ll never reach load-shedding stage 16, the potential for this possibility is higher than ever. The electrical grid becomes stressed during extreme cold or heat, and the South African government’s delay in creating a large-scale renewable energy supply has created worries. 

While the National Rationalised Specifications (NRS) Association management committee believes it unlikely that we will ever reach the final load-shedding stage, South African residents should be prepared for the possibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Everyone hopes South Africa will never require the most severe load-shedding stages. However, understanding the possibility and being prepared for extreme circumstances will ensure you’re never left entirely in the dark without an alternative power source. 

Investing in EcoFlow’s Solar Generators will ensure you can always power essential appliances, like your refrigerator, to keep food fresh and devices, like your smartphone, to communicate with loved ones and keep up with energy regulator updates.