Eskom Suspends Loadshedding until 4pm today But Warns of Daily Stage 2 Cuts

Eskom

Eskom has announced that there will be a temporary cessation of loadshedding today, lasting until 4pm. South Africans may enjoy a period of relief from the rolling blackouts that have become an increasingly common disruption to daily life. However, the respite will be brief as Stage 1 loadshedding is set to return this afternoon and continue into the early hours of Monday morning.

According to the state power utility, loadshedding will be lifted once again from “05:00 on Monday until 16:00,” before Stage 2 loadshedding takes over, marking a pattern expected to continue daily. Eskom’s decision comes after careful consideration of the country’s power system’s current outlook.

“This is as a result of the recovery of emergency reserves, the return of three generating units and the anticipated weekday demand,” Eskom conveyed in its statement, providing a semblance of hope that there is movement toward stabilization of the power grid.

Furthermore, Eskom anticipates that an additional 3,330MW of generation capacity will rejoin the grid by Wednesday, which could help alleviate the severity of power cuts. Tonight’s peak demand is, however, forecasted to be at a substantial 24,883MW, indicating the ongoing strain the network faces in meeting the country’s energy demands.

The utility has committed to keeping the public informed, with Eskom adding that “it will communicate as soon as there are any significant changes.”