18 days: Eskom says the festive season had lights on the longest since June 2022

Ailing state-owned entity Eskom has confirmed the suspension of load shedding during festive season for 18 days was the longest it has been able to keep the lights on in 18 months.

This short reprieve was welcomed by South Africans as they enjoyed the festive season and holidays with no rolling blackouts. But the bubble burst as 2024 dawned, with power cuts returning on Tuesday.

Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said the suspension of load shedding during December was the longest since 2022.

“This is the longest period without load shedding since 30 May – 20 June 2022.”

Load shedding

The parastatal said Stage 2 load shedding was set to run from 5am to 4pm starting on Tuesday, 2 January.

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Thereafter, Stage 3 load shedding would persist until 5 am on Wednesday.

Mokwena said due to the ongoing intensified maintenance aimed at enhancing fleet performance, Eskom encountered a setback with three generating units (2,148MW) not returning online as expected.

“This, combined with the loss of six generating units (3,113MW) and an anticipated increase in electricity demand, mandates the implementation of Stage 2 load shedding from 5 am on Tuesday until 4 pm, followed by Stage 3 load shedding until 5 am on Wednesday.”

Eskom said the routine of Stage 2 load shedding in the morning and Stage 3 in the evening will be a daily occurrence until further notice.

Kusile

Meanwhile, Unit 5 at Eskom’s problematic Kusile power station, which was affected by a fire in 2022, is expected to contribute an additional 800MW to the country’s electricity grid, Eskom said.

This is good news for the country as Eskom struggles with generation capacity.

The power utility synchronised Unit 5 of the Kusile Power Station to the national grid for the first time at 17:22 on Sunday, 31 December 2023.

The unit will contribute an additional 800MW to the country’s power system which was never part of the Eskom’s grid capacity.

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