South Africa is expected to see an end to the current wave of load shedding by the end of the week, according to Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.
Ramokgopa, alongside Eskom executives, provided an update on the nation’s electricity generation challenges on Sunday.
The briefing followed Eskom’s announcement that Stage 6 load shedding had been implemented from 1:30 a.m. on Sunday. Despite the severity of the situation, the minister remained optimistic about restoring stability.
“I’m confident that by the end of the week, we should be out of this difficult situation. We are confident we’re going to return to normal conditions. By the end of the week, there will not be any load shedding. We would have gone through this wave, and, of course, we want the country to get accustomed to a stable power supply,” Ramokgopa said.
The minister highlighted that, despite 300 consecutive days without load shedding, recent unexpected disruptions, including the loss of five generation units at Majuba and four units at Camden power stations, led to the reimplementation of power cuts.
Eskom CEO Dan Marokane provided additional insight into the power utility’s recovery efforts, revealing that six of the ten lost units had already been restored.
He explained that the loss of multiple units at Majuba was triggered by an overload on a transformer, which in turn affected the power supply to other units. Compounding the issue was a trip at Medupi power station due to an underfrequency in the network.
By early Sunday morning, Eskom had managed to bring two Majuba units and one Camden unit back online, with efforts ongoing to restore the remaining units. Marokane reassured the public that Eskom had identified the root cause of the failure and was taking corrective measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Ramokgopa reaffirmed that Eskom and the government are making strategic, long-term decisions to ensure the sustainability of the power grid and the economy. “At all material points, we will never make expedient decisions at the cost of the grid, because the consequences will be too ghastly to contemplate,” he stated.
The minister stressed that while load shedding is necessary at times to protect the grid, the government is committed to finding a lasting solution. “We will not make expedient decisions. We’ll make decisions that are in the best interest of the grid and, in the long term, in the interest of the South African economy.”
He provided an update on Eskom’s recovery efforts, highlighting the synchronization of Kusile Unit 6, now expected on March 9, and the return of Medupi Unit 4 by the end of March or early April. These additions will contribute 1,600 megawatts to the grid. “Medupi is a recovery of lost capacity, but Kusile is entirely new capacity. We are moving in the right direction,” he assured.
Ramokgopa emphasized that the government remains dedicated to the generation recovery plan, which has already shown positive results despite occasional setbacks. “We’re staying the course because the generation recovery plan is delivering the results we desire. We have accepted that there will be setbacks.”
The minister explained that ongoing maintenance work is a crucial part of ensuring that when load shedding is ultimately eliminated, it is done with confidence. “When I stood before the nation to give an update on the grid’s performance, I made the point [that there will be] short-term pain, [and] long-term gain. We cannot postpone the maintenance of these assets.”
He noted that government funds allocated from National Treasury are being used to support necessary maintenance to ensure the stability of the power grid. “That is why I have not been able to make an absolute statement that load shedding is behind us—because we understand that there are inherent risks in the strategy we have taken.”
