Pretoria: The Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, along with Eskom, is set to deliver an update on the status of South Africa’s electricity generation performance during a briefing this morning. This comes as the nation grapples with power supply challenges.
According to South African Government News Agency, the briefing follows Eskom’s announcement of the implementation of Stage 6 load shedding. The power utility had to take this measure due to multiple unit trips at the Camden Power Station, which began at 1:30 am and is set to continue until further notice.
Eskom explained in a social media post that the Stage 6 load shedding was essential after Stage 3 was initially put in place. This was due to multiple unit trips at the Majuba Power Station and an additional unit trip at the Medupi Power Station, resulting in a significant loss of 3,864 MW in generation capacity. Planned maintenance also accounted for a reduction of 7,506 MW.
In a Sunday post on X, Eskom further clarified t
hat the elevated load shedding stage was crucial to “replenish emergency reserves and prepare for the week ahead.” Prior to this, the utility had implemented Stage 3 load shedding on Saturday following over 20 days of uninterrupted electricity supply, citing a temporary setback.
The briefing in Pretoria is scheduled to commence at 11 am, where further details are expected to be provided regarding the ongoing electricity challenges and mitigation strategies.