Power utility Eskom says although reaching 21 days without load shedding is a milestone, it remains committed to ultimately eliminating the rotational power outages.

Eskom has kept the lights on for at least 535 hours – a feat last achieved nearly two years ago.

‘This is a result of sustained generation capacity, adequate emergency reserves, and reduced electricity demand from the grid. The last time Eskom achieved a similar milestone was in June 2022, with 20 consecutive days without load shedding.

‘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,’ the power utility said.

By Wednesday, unplanned outages at power stations stood at some 14 264MW, with a further 5 370MW unavailable due to planned maintenance.

‘Eskom Power Station General Managers and their teams are working diligently to ensure the recovery of additional generating capacity by bringing units from unplan
ned outages and planned maintenance back into service as soon as possible.

‘A total of 2 070MW of generating capacity is planned to be returned to service by Friday,’ Eskom said.

The power utility thanked South Africans who are using electricity sparingly.

‘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 concluded.

Source: South African Government News Agency