Eskom suspends load shedding after recovery of generation capacity

Eskom has announced that Stage 3 load shedding will be suspended from 10am on Sunday.

The parastatal implemented Stage 3 load shedding from 2pm on Friday.

The power cuts were expected to continue until 5am on Monday.

Load shedding suspended

However on Sunday, Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena confirmed the rolling blackouts will be suspended.

This comes after the utility managed to recover of more than 3 000 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity and replenishment of sufficient emergency reserves in the past 44 hours.

“Coal operations at Kusile Power Station are at optimal levels, with all units that were offline as of Friday now back in service.

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“Progress on the recovery of Koeberg Unit 2 recovery well underway. Eskom reassures the public that Koeberg Unit 2 remains safe.

“Planned maintenance outages aimed at preparing for winter and meeting regulatory and environmental licensing requirements continue,” she said.

Restoration

Mokwena added that the team is working “diligently” to restore 4 091MW back to service by Monday.

“Eskom’s summer outlook, published on 26 August 2024, remains unchanged.

“We maintain our guidance that load shedding is largely behind us due to structural improvements in the generation fleet. 

“While baseload capacity remains constrained, our generation recovery plan is addressing this challenge. The dedicated efforts of our highly skilled staff remain unwavering,” Mokwena said.

Eskom will provide further updates if there are changes to the schedule.

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