Eskom suspends load shedding as generation improves

Move comes just as SA hosts the ‘B20’ and G20 finance track events in Cape Town, which are key run-up forums to the main G20 Leaders Summit in Sandton later this year.

Eskom suspended load shedding on Wednesday at 5 am.

It confirmed the decision just after 4 am in a statement, saying the suspension follows a “recovery of generation capacity and the replenishment of emergency reserves”.

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Read: Eskom’s ‘calculated aggression’ with planned maintenance comes with risk

The move also comes just as SA hosts the ‘B20’ and G20 finance track events in Cape Town, which are key run-up forums to the main G20 Leaders Summit in Sandton later this year.

Eskom halting power cuts will be welcomed by business and ordinary South Africans after the state-run power company was forced to implement load shedding for the second time within less than a month on Saturday (22 February).

This came after several generating units at its coal-fired power stations tripped, which escalated load shedding from Stage 3 to Stage 6 on Sunday. It was reduced to Stage 4 on Monday and Stage 2 yesterday. The two bouts of Eskom-related power cuts over the last month were the first in over 10 months, as the power utility’s overall recovery plan gained momentum.

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“We maintain our guidance that load shedding is largely behind us due to structural improvements in the generation fleet,” Eskom Group CEO Dan Marokane declared in a statement regarding the suspension of power cuts on Wednesday.

“Our focus remains on eliminating load shedding as a structural constraint on the economy,” said Marokane. ADVERTISEMENT: CONTINUE READING BELOW

“There will be valuable lessons to be [learnt] from the set of multiple unit trips that were unconnected and purely technical in nature related to electrical and control system issues within auxiliary parts of our power stations,” he explained.

Read/listen:
Load shedding at a chronic level is behind us, says Marokane [Aug 2024]
Eskom expects the lights to stay on this summer [Aug 2024]
Eskom extends coal plants’ lives to protect South Africa grid [May 2024]

“We remain committed to high levels of maintenance, and the results are clear. Our efforts have delivered a 99% electricity availability rate over Eskom’s current financial year, from 1 April 2024 to 21 February 2025, saving R17 billion in diesel costs,” said Eskom’s group executive for generation, Bheki Nxumalo.

“Ongoing planned maintenance stands at 6 660MW in alignment with our summer period maintenance strategy, which is at increased levels in order to prepare for winter and meet license and regulatory requirements. We reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that South Africa will not return to the severe levels of load shedding experienced in 2023,” added Nxumalo.

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