File
Eskom suspended load shedding on Sunday morning, saying it had replenished emergency reserves while its open-cycle gas turbines had recovered adequately.
The power utility said load shedding was suspended at 6 am, just a day after stage 3 load shedding was implemented on Friday due to insufficient emergency reserves.
Spokesperson Daphne Mokoena said this was after more than 10 months of uninterrupted electricity supply, reflecting the effectiveness of the generation recovery plan.
“This past 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, with dam levels fully replenished and open-cycle gas turbines adequately recovered, ensuring a stable supply,” she said.
Mokoena said five coal-fired generation units were “successfully repaired”, adding a total of 2 930MW to the grid.
“An additional 2 391MW is expected to be restored today, Sunday,” she said.
Mokoena said with load shedding “largely behind us”, the structural improvements and efficiency gains made in their coal-fired generation fleet were secure, along with the over R16.30 billion saved in diesel costs from 1 April 2024 to January 30, 2025.
Eskom said current, unplanned outages stand at 13 279MW and continue to trend downward, averaging 12 087MW.
“Planned maintenance outages account for 6 298MW and are aligned with our summer maintenance strategy to further improve reliability in preparation for winter 2025 and beyond.
“With the available capacity of 27 957MW and the evening’s peak demand forecast of 24 456MW, Eskom will meet electricity demand,” Mokoena said.
