Lights on a little longer as Eskom extends load shedding suspension

Lights will be staying on a little longer, seemingly setting the pricey tone as Eskom’s tariff hike takes effect.

Following up on its generosity since the start of the Easter weekend, Eskom announced on Sunday, that load shedding would remain suspended until further notice.

“Due to the sustained available generation capacity, adequate emergency reserves, and anticipated lower demand at the beginning of the week ahead, loadshedding will remain suspended until further notice,” Eskom said in a statement.

The power provider also said it would provide a system update on Wednesday, and communicate significant changes should they occur.

Unplanned unavailability stood at 13 579 MW on Sunday, while planned maintenance accounted for 7 046 MW of generating capacity.

Eskom said a total of 3 550 MW is planned to be returned to service by Tuesday morning. However, the evening peak on Sunday night was expected to reach 23 400 MW.

Not an April fool’s joke

As you enjoy the rare abundance of electricity on your last day off, brace yourself for a slightly steeper electricity bill next month as Eskom’s new tariff takes off.

The power producer recently announced it would implement the Nersa-approved 12.74% increase for its direct customers from 1 April.

Coming at a time when many households are already struggling to make ends meet, the tariff means electricity will be significantly more expensive.

This comes after Eskom applied to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) for the approval of its Retail Tariff and Structural Adjustment Application (Ertsa), as well as its Schedule of Tariffs for this year.

While the parastatal said it had not tariff structural changes for 2024/25 on the cards, it is considering making a tariff restructuring submission to Nersa for implementation in 2024/26.

READ MORE: Eskom’s new tariff: Here’s how your monthly electricity bill will change