Eskom provided some Temporary relief to South Africa

Eskom provided some temporary relief to South Africa by suspending load shedding until 4:00 PM on Thursday.

The power utility made this announcement at 2:30 AM. However, it’s important to note that Stage 3 load shedding will resume at 4:00 PM and continue until 5:00 AM on Friday, with further stages to be announced later.

Eskom attributed this change to improved generation capacity and a decrease in breakdowns. While this is good news, there’s a catch. The electricity minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has cautioned that hot weather conditions may lead to more load shedding. The reason is that some power units struggle to perform efficiently in extreme heat, resulting in partial load losses. This issue is receiving attention, and engineering solutions are being explored to address it.

It’s worth mentioning that stage 6 load shedding, which South Africa recently experienced, had a significant economic impact, costing the country R1 billion per day when implemented. Minister Ramokgopa emphasized that load shedding is a structural constraint on the South African economy and can hinder its recovery, leading to increased poverty and unemployment.

As for the current status, on Friday, September 22, 2023, load shedding will be suspended from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM due to reduced demand and breakdowns averaging at 13,445MW of generation capacity. Afterward, Stage 2 load shedding will resume at 4:00 PM and continue until 5:00 AM on Saturday. Eskom will provide further updates on the outlook for the long weekend in the afternoon.