Load-Shedding Returns to South Africa After 10 Months of Stability
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Synopsis
South Africa faces a return to load-shedding after over 10 months of consistent electricity supply, according to Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. The need for rolling blackouts arises from unit failures at Eskom power stations, prompting concerns about economic growth.
Key Takeaways
- Load-shedding returns after 10 months.
- Multiple unit failures at Eskom cause rolling blackouts.
- Stage 3 load-shedding implemented over the weekend.
- Call for collaboration to end power interruptions.
- Over 300 days without outages before this setback.
Johannesburg, Feb 1 (NationPress) South Africa will face a return to load-shedding, also known as rolling blackouts, this weekend following over 10 months of steady electricity provision, as stated by Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.
In a media briefing held on Friday afternoon, Ramokgopa detailed that various factors, including multiple unit failures at the state power utility Eskom’s power stations, resulted in a "perfect storm," making load-shedding necessary.
"We had units offline for planned maintenance, and then faced unit failures at Matimba and Lethabo power stations. For most of the week, we had to depend on open-cycle gas turbines and diesel. We have depleted our reserves," he shared.
This announcement followed Eskom’s notification that stage 3 load-shedding would commence on Friday and continue throughout the weekend, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
"This may be a temporary setback. Load-shedding is largely behind us due to structural enhancements in our generation fleet," stated Eskom Group Chief Executive (CEO) Dan Marokane. "However, in the past week, we have faced several breakdowns that require prolonged repairs. This has made it necessary to utilize all our emergency reserves, which need to be replenished this weekend."
As the nation braced for the return of load-shedding later on Friday, Rethabile Melamu, CEO of the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association, emphasized the importance of maintaining focus and hope, calling on all stakeholders to collaborate with the government in addressing the power interruptions.
"This is indeed a disappointing setback, but our efforts must persist. We’re close to reaching the finish line. I urge all stakeholders to remain dedicated to permanently ending load-shedding," she stated.
Scheduled power outages, commonly referred to as load-shedding in South Africa, have stunted the nation's economic growth for over ten years. Nevertheless, since March of last year, there have been no power outages due to a significant enhancement in Eskom's electricity supply, achieving over 300 consecutive days without interruptions.
