Businesses urged to plan for stage 8 load-shedding and total grid collapse

South African businesses are urged to prepare for stage 8 load-shedding and a potential total blackout, according to the Financial Sector Contingency Forum, including the central bank and other financial regulators. Even though a total blackout is seen as an unlikely scenario, its possible devastating consequences necessitate planning and readiness. Chris Hattingh from the Centre for Risk Analysis also emphasised the need for contingency planning, despite the low probability of a grid collapse. The more probable scenario is stage 8 load-shedding, which could result in power cuts for half the day.

The Institute of Risk Management South Africa (IRMSA) warned that anticipated stage 8 load shedding could pose a significant threat to various sectors of the economy. IRMSA’s chief risk advisor and former Eskom executive Christopher Palm urged risk managers to update their business impact assessments and establish comprehensive risk strategies.

Purple Group’s chief risk officer, Nicola Comninos, stressed the importance of ensuring business continuity during high stages of load-shedding, suggesting scenario planning and reviewing the resilience of suppliers. Purple Group moved to a WeWork space to manage power outage risks, which manages the power supply, thereby reducing the risk for smaller organisations.

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