Eskom CEO Dan Morakane has confirmed that loadshedding is highly likely to return this weekend due to unexpected unit failures and depleted reserves.
UPDATE: Eskom confirmed that Stage 3 loadshedding would be in effect from 17:00 on Friday until Sunday, 2 February 2025. See the loadshedding schedule below.
Date | 00:00 – 05:00 | 05:00 – 16:00 | 17:00 – 20:00 | 20:00 – 00:00 |
Friday 31 Jan 25 | – | – | Stage 3 | Stage 3 |
Saturday 1 Feb 25 | Stage 3 | Stage 3 | Stage 3 | Stage 3 |
Sunday 2 Feb 25 | Stage 3 | Stage 3 | Stage 3 | Stage 3 |
Eskom loadshedding: What’s the state of the power system in February 2025?
Speaking before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Electricity and Energy on Friday, Morakane stated that two major power units broke down earlier this week, forcing the utility to rely on its emergency reserves to keep the grid stable.
While Eskom is working to restore these units, the risk of power cuts remains high, and the power utility has warned South Africans to be prepared for possible outages at short notice.
“This is a potentially temporary setback. Loadshedding is largely behind us due to the structural improvements in our generation fleet. However, over the past seven days, we have experienced several breakdowns that require extended repair times. This has necessitated the use of all our emergency reserves, which now need to be replenished. Consequently, we are closely monitoring the status of our current emergency reserves, and loadshedding up to Stage 4 may be implemented over the weekend,” Morakane confirmed.
Eskom is expected to provide a formal system update in its weekly Power Alert later today, which will confirm whether loadshedding will be implemented and at what stage.
This development comes after energy analysts had previously warned that loadshedding would return in early 2025, despite Eskom dismissing these concerns at the start of the year.
Eskom electricity prices expected to increase in April 2025
Adding to consumer concerns, NERSA has approved a three-year electricity tariff hike that will see Eskom customers paying significantly more for power from April 2025.
According to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s decision, electricity prices will rise by:
- 12.74% in 2025
- 5.36% in 2026
- 6.19% in 2027
These increases come despite Eskom initially requesting a 36.15% tariff hike for 2025 alone. While the regulator reduced Eskom’s proposed increase, the approved hikes will still place a further strain on households already battling rising living costs.
NERSA stated that the price adjustments aim to balance Eskom’s financial needs with consumer affordability, noting that over 1,200 public objections were submitted before the final decision.
Loadshedding schedule for February 2025
Eskom has yet to confirm a detailed loadshedding schedule for February, as power cuts will only be implemented if system conditions worsen.
If loadshedding does return, the utility will provide an official schedule through its Power Alert system.
South Africa follows a staged loadshedding system, which determines the severity of power cuts:
- Stage 1: Up to 1,000MW cut from the grid, resulting in short, infrequent outages.
- Stage 2: Up to 2,000MW cut, leading to longer, more frequent outages.
- Stage 3 to Stage 6: Increasingly severe power cuts, lasting up to four hours at a time.
- Stage 7 and Stage 8: The worst-case scenario, where 50% of the country is without power at any given time.
South Africans are advised to monitor Eskom’s official channels for real-time updates, as the next 48 hours will determine whether the grid remains stable or if power cuts will be enforced.