Johannesburg: Eskom has announced the suspension of loadshedding as of 6am on Sunday, following a temporary setback that required the implementation of loadshedding over the weekend. The state-owned power utility attributed this decision to the recovery of sufficient emergency reserves.
According to South African Government News Agency, Eskom’s announcement follows a period of over 10 months of uninterrupted electricity supply, highlighting the success of the Generation Recovery Plan. This past Friday, the utility revealed that it had experienced several breakdowns over the past week, necessitating extended repair times and the complete utilization of its emergency reserves.
Eskom stated that it has since replenished these reserves, with dam levels fully restored and open-cycle gas turbines adequately recovered, ensuring a stable supply. Additionally, five coal-fired generation units were successfully repaired and returned to service, adding a total of 2,930 megawatts (MW) to the grid. An additional 2,391 MW is expected to be restored later today, Sunday, February 2, 2025. The utility emphasized the structural improvements and efficiency gains achieved in its coal-fired generation fleet, along with over R16.30 billion saved in diesel costs from April 1, 2024, to January 30, 2025.
Eskom also confirmed that its Summer Outlook, published on August 26, 2024, remains unchanged. Unplanned outages currently stand at 13,279 MW and continue to trend downward, averaging 12,087 MW. Planned maintenance outages account for 6,298 MW and are aligned with the summer maintenance strategy to enhance reliability for winter 2025 and beyond. With an available capacity of 27,957 MW and a peak demand forecast of 24,456 MW for the evening, Eskom assured it will meet electricity demand.
However, Eskom continues to face isolated network overloading issues in certain local areas due to illegal connections, vandalism, meter tampering, unauthorized network operations, theft of network equipment, and purchasing electricity from unlicensed vendors. To prevent public safety hazards, the utility urged customers to avoid illegal connections, as they can negatively impact entire local communities. Eskom also stressed the importance of purchasing electricity only from authorized vendors.
The public is encouraged to help protect the integrity of the power network by reporting any illegal activities to the Eskom Crime Line at 0800 112 722 or via WhatsApp at 081 333 3323. The utility stated it will provide an update on Friday or communicate any significant changes as soon as they occur.