Eskom has issued a high-risk alert for power cuts this weekend, warning that loadshedding up to Stage 4 could be implemented at short notice.
Loadshedding could return at Stage 4 this weekend
The announcement, made in an official statement on Friday, follows comments by Eskom Group CEO Dan Marokane, who had earlier cautioned that the power utility was struggling to recover from major unit breakdowns.
Eskom confirmed that several power station units had failed over the past week, leading to an increased reliance on emergency reserves, such as open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs).
With these reserves now depleted, the utility needs to replenish supply, making loadshedding highly likely.
“This is a potentially temporary setback,” Eskom said in its statement.
“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.”
Marokane reiterated that Eskom’s summer outlook remains unchanged, meaning that while power cuts may be necessary in the short term, the overall grid stability remains improved compared to previous years.
Further updates are expected over the weekend as Eskom assesses the situation.
What happens at Stage 4 loadshedding?
If Eskom implements Stage 4 loadshedding, up to 4,000MW will be removed from the grid, resulting in power cuts of up to 12 hours per day for some areas.
This is a significant jump from Stage 2, which typically results in outages lasting four to six hours per day.
During Stage 4, the impact on businesses and households is more severe, as power cuts occur two to three times per day.
Many industries, including manufacturing, retail, and small businesses, struggle with productivity losses, while households must adjust their daily routines to cope with extended outages.
South Africans are urged to monitor official Eskom updates and prepare for possible disruptions by ensuring they have backup power solutions, charged devices, and alternative cooking methods.
Eskom’s performance challenges in FY2024
Eskom’s struggle to prevent loadshedding is linked to ongoing operational and financial difficulties highlighted in its FY2024 performance review.
Group Chairman Mteto Nyati detailed several critical issues, including:
- Unreliable generation plants, with over 15,500MW of unplanned outages leading to 329 days of loadshedding in FY2024.
- A financial loss of R25.5 billion before tax, due to revenue shortfalls and increased operating costs.
- Municipal arrears escalating to R74.4 billion, further straining Eskom’s ability to recover financially.
- An illicit internal ring selling prepaid electricity tokens, which has led to a forensic investigation into fraud within Eskom’s vending system.
Despite these setbacks, Eskom recorded over 250 days of uninterrupted electricity supply in 2024, achieved R11.9 billion in cost savings on diesel use, and expects to post a R10 billion after-tax profit for the year.
However, with rising electricity prices, grid constraints, and ongoing breakdowns, Eskom faces an uphill battle to sustain stability.
The utility will provide further updates over the weekend regarding the severity and duration of expected loadshedding.