by MTHULISI SIBANDA
JOHANNESBURG – SOUTH Africa Minister of Electricity and Energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has ruled out the possibility of load shedding for the remaining winter period as the power grid has stabilised.
He was updating media in the capital Pretoria as the power utility, Eskom, recently reported over 90 days without the dreaded power cuts.
“We are seeing a significant recovery trajectory,” Ramokgopa said on Wednesday.
“We are confident that disciplined maintenance, returning units to service and upgrades will continue to strengthen the grid’s resilience,” he added.
The improvements are under Eskom’s Generation Recovery Plan.
Medupi Power Station’s Unit 4 was returned to service on July 6, adding 800MW to the national grid.
While the system has stabilised, millions in low density suburbs are experiencing “load reduction” comprising power cuts of up to five hours during peak periods.
The power utility reports that illegal connections and electricity theft burden transformer load in those areas.
“While load shedding remains suspended, Eskom implements load reduction during the morning and evening peak hours to avoid equipment damage,” Eskom stated.
– CAJ News
