SA celebrates 21 days without load shedding as it remains suspended

South Africa has reached a milestone of 21 consecutive days and, as of midday on Wednesday, 535 hours without rolling blackouts.

This as Eskom confirmed on Wednesday afternoon citizens can continue to enjoy uninterrupted electricity as load shedding will remain suspended until further notice.

Load shedding milestone

The last time the power utility achieved such a similar milestone was in June 2022, with 20 consecutive days without load shedding.

Eskom said this is a result of sustained generation capacity, adequate emergency reserves, and reduced electricity demand from the grid.

“While Eskom acknowledges this milestone, it remains committed to the continued implementation of its Generation Operational Recovery Plan to reduce and ultimately eliminate load shedding,” it said.

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The power utility promised to give an update on Sunday or to notify customers as soon as there are any changes.

Eskom planned maintenance

Last week, Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa attributed the noticeable decrease in the intensity and frequency of load shedding across South Africa to planned maintenance.

Ramokgopa hinted that Eskom plans to leverage the extra capacity generated from wind energy to mitigate the impact of load shedding, starting in May.

“In winter, when the cold front passes through the Western and Eastern Cape, the wind generation increases significantly, so we are going to see a greater contribution from wind energy during those months,” he said.

Meanwhile, according to Eskom, unplanned outages account for 14 264MW of generating capacity, while the capacity out of service for planned maintenance is 5 370MW.

Additional generating capacity

“Eskom Power Station General Managers and their teams are working diligently to ensure the recovery of additional generating capacity by bringing units from unplanned outages and planned maintenance back into service as soon as possible,” the power utility said.

It added that a total of 2 070MW of generating capacity is planned to be returned to service by Friday, and Eskom’s evening peak demand tonight is 28 655MW.

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“We would like to thank those who heed the call to use electricity sparingly and efficiently, including switching off geysers and pool pumps from 5pm to 9pm or during load limiting. This lowers demand and helps alleviate the pressure on the power system, contributing to lower stages of load shedding,” Eskom said.