Mixed Reactions to City Power’s Load-Limiting and Exemption Plans

City Power’s implementation of load-shedding exemptions and load-limiting in Johannesburg has sparked online debates and raised questions among residents.

The municipal power utility of the City of Johannesburg recently announced several measures aimed at minimising load-shedding and ensuring uninterrupted power supply for customers as reported by the Times Live.

One of the initiatives involves granting load-shedding exemptions to specific customers starting in early June.

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“The city has a responsibility to attract investments, retain existing businesses in Johannesburg, and safeguard employment opportunities for residents. The persistent load-shedding has severely impacted economic activities within the city, resulting in business closures and migration of some businesses to provinces with reliable electricity supply,” stated Jack Sekwaila, MMC for environment and infrastructure services.

Sekwaila added that small businesses, already grappling with the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, had been forced to shut down due to the detrimental effects of load-shedding. The proposed measures aim to sustain economic activity despite the challenging load-shedding situation.

City Power also outlined plans to implement load-limiting measures for households, utilising smart meters capable of regulating power consumption. Under this system, the power supply will remain uninterrupted if a household’s electricity usage falls below the load-limit threshold. However, if the usage exceeds the threshold, the smart meter will automatically switch off high-energy appliances.

Meyrick Ramatlo, City Power’s executive for energy management, explained, “Rather than cutting off electricity to the entire house as Eskom’s load-shedding does, our goal is to limit power usage to essential needs such as lighting, television, and Wi-Fi.”

While some individuals expressed support for these initiatives, others raised concerns about the practicality and fairness of their implementation.

#JoburgUpdates #JoburgServices #MediaStatement

City Power to exclude businesses and key customers from #Loadshedding.^GR pic.twitter.com/70SPcXFPgy

— @CityPowerJhb (@CityPowerJhb) May 25, 2023

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City power explores plan to reduce load shedding hours for Johannesburg

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Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán