Load rotation has no schedule, unlike load-shedding, but is implemented based on load threat from local substations.
Moerane issued the warning in a statement on Thursday, urging residents to reduce their electricity use.
If residents do not adhere to the warning, City Power may be forced to implement the rotation in areas where consumption is high to protect the infrastructure from overloading.
This is despite City Power having conducted extensive maintenance of the network to increase capacity while preparing for the winter season.
According to the statement, the decision came after a risk assessment conducted across City Power substations.
The findings were that daily overloading and total blackouts in some substations pose a serious threat in “most” areas, he said.
On top of this, Moerane reminded residents of the high probability of load-shedding, “should the grid continue to be under severe pressure as it is now”.
“There has been an increase in the number of outages in areas identified as hotspots across the city, caused by overloading due to, among others, illegal connections, an increase in backyard rooms and general overuse of electricity during peak hours.”
Load rotation will occur, where necessary, during peak hours — 4pm to 10pm.
“City Power will monitor the load daily and determine which areas need intervention. If customers’ consumption behaviour doesn’t change, we will be forced to continue implementing load rotation until further notice.
“Residents should understand that the load rotation is used as the last resort to protect the infrastructure, and it is necessitated by repeated outages in the areas identified due to overloading and increase in demand.
“Residents are urged to use electricity sparingly and switch off unnecessary appliances they do not use, especially during the identified peak hours. Residents who are not at work should consider cooking early to give those returning from work a chance, and thus ease the load on the power grid.”
Meanwhile, Eskom has confirmed no load- shedding will be experienced this weekend.
