Load-shedding will remain at stage 4 until diesel stocks have been fully replenished, says Eskom.

This comes as a vessel that is supposed to offload diesel at Mossel Bay cannot berth due to rough seas, hampering delivery of diesel supplies to two open-cycle gas turbine stations.

Eskom said it has to preserve the low diesel levels at Gourikwa, while delivery to Ankerlig will take time to replenish as it is done by road tankers.

The Camden power station has also developed “a technical problem with the water chemistry”. Eskom said it shut down three units on Wednesday afternoon, and planned to also shut the remaining four units.

Meanwhile, the electricity parastal has reiterated it cannot afford the R300bn it would cost to clean up its coal-fired power stations to bring them in line with minimum emissions standards.

In March, the Pretoria high court gave environmental affairs minister Barbara Creecy 12 months to implement and enforce the Highveld Priority Area air quality management plan that will bring pollution in line with minimum emissions standards.

Engineering News reported Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter on Wednesday told the African Renewables Investment Summit in Cape Town that to meet the requirements, the utility would have to decommission as much as 16GW immediately and 30GW would have to be decommissioned by 2025. This could translate to stage 15 load-shedding, he said, adding: “I don't want to know what that looks like.”

The alternative is to retrofit the stations with technologies that remove carbon and sulphur dioxide emissions but this would cost R300bn, De Ruyter was quoted as saying.

Eskom warned late last year the decision by the environment department in November, declining its applications to postpone compliance with emission standards at five of its power stations, came at a huge price tag and would have a significant impact on the utility’s ability to provide electricity. It appealed against the decision.

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