Eskom's Lethabo Power Station in Free State. Picture: Gallo Images/Business Day/Freddy Mavunda
Eskom said five of its coal-fired generation units have been successfully repaired. Its reserves have been returned to service, allowing it to suspend load shedding.
The parastatal announced on Friday that it will implement stage 3 load shedding from 5pm on Friday until Sunday at midnight to replenish the power reserves due to failures at two of its best-performing power stations, Matimba and Lethabo.
The country experienced load shedding for the first time in more than 10 months.
Load shedding was expected to last until Sunday at midnight. However, Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said the rolling blackouts would be suspended after the utility sufficiently replenished its emergency reserves.
“After a temporary setback that necessitated the implementation of load shedding over the weekend, Eskom has suspended load shedding as of 06:00 today due to the recovery of sufficient emergency reserves.
“On Friday, Eskom announced that it had encountered several breakdowns over the past week, necessitating extended repair times and the full use of its emergency reserves. As promised, Eskom has since replenished these reserves. Dam levels are fully replenished, and open-cycle gas turbines adequately recovered, ensuring a stable supply,” Mokwena said.
ALSO READ: UPDATE: Eskom suspends load shedding after replenishing reserves
Mokwena added that five coal-fired generation units have been successfully repaired and returned to service, adding 2 930MW to the grid.
“An additional 2 391MW is expected to be restored on Sunday. With load shedding largely behind us, the structural improvements and efficiency gains we have made in our coal-fired generation fleet are secure, along with the over R16.30 billion saved in diesel costs from 1 April 2024 to 30 January 2025.”
Mokwena also warned that Eskom continues to face network overloading issues in certain local areas. This is due to illegal connections, vandalism, meter tampering, theft of network equipment, and purchasing electricity from unlicensed vendors, among other issues.
“To prevent public safety hazards, network overloading, and extended unplanned power outages, Eskom strongly urges customers to avoid illegal connections. These can negatively impact the entire local community.
“It is also essential for customers to ensure they purchase electricity only from authorised vendors,” Mokwena said.
Meanwhile, Eskom said its summer outlook, published on August 26, 2024, remains unchanged.
ALSO READ: Load shedding is back as Eskom imposes stage 3 power cuts from 5pm on Friday until Sunday [VIDEO]
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