Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa recently indicated that the discontinuation of loadshedding might be short-lived, pointing to possible future disruptions in the power supply system.
Loadshedding likely to return soon, Ramokgopa warns
Minister Ramokgopa, who survived a horror car crash last week. highlighted that despite a period without power cuts, the stability of the power system remains precarious.
At a recent briefing, he remarked:
“We are still working on the reliability of these machines, and that’s why you can’t confidently say load-shedding is behind us. That would be a false claim, and it can’t be substantiated.”
He stressed the inherent unpredictability within Eskom’s operational environment, noting that no official could guarantee the absence of loadshedding in the immediate future due to ongoing instability.
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“No Eskom official can put their hand on their heart and say tomorrow morning we will continue to have no load-shedding because there’s a lot of instability – anything can happen tomorrow,” he said.
Electricity Minister tells SA to appreciate Eskom
Ramokgopa urged South Africans to recognise Eskom’s efforts and achievements, particularly highlighting the significant uptake of solar PV by households and businesses.
This increase in solar power generation, which is nearing 5,000MW, is a direct result of state incentives promoted through Eskom’s plans.
“So it’s all part of Eskom’s orchestrated plan, we should appreciate this,” he added.
What’s the latest state of the power system?
Currently, loadshedding remains suspended, a status that has been maintained for over three weeks due to strong generation capacity and adequate emergency reserves.
However, the system is not without its challenges: unplanned outages currently stand at 13,566MW, and while planned maintenance has been reduced to 5,507MW, an additional 2,660MW was restored on Monday evening.
Eskom anticipates the evening peak demand this week to average 26,434MW with a power system update expected on Friday afternoon or sooner if any significant developments occur.
