South Africans can breathe a little easier as Eskom on Wednesday announced there would be no more load shedding, for the next few days at least, as the generation grid remains steady.
Eskom spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena said: “This is a result of sustained available generation capacity, adequate emergency reserves, and anticipated moderate demand for the week ahead.
“Eskom will provide a system update on Friday or communicate any significant changes should they occur,” Mokwena said.
The power utility said a total of 2,365MW is planned to be returned to service by Friday evening.
This while it will be continuing with planned maintenance to ensure improved reliability of its fleet.
“The evening peak demand tonight is expected to reach 27,613MW,” Mokwena said.
After load shedding Stage 2, Eskom announced on Wednesday, March 27, that due to its generation capacity, load shedding would be suspended until Sunday, March 31.
However, on Sunday, it announced a further suspension of load shedding due to sustained available generation capacity.
Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that Eskom's proposed gas power plant in Mossel Bay and a pumped hydro storage facility in Limpopo are among the 12 priority projects identified for project preparation in the coming year.
Speaking at the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium held in Cape Town, Ramaphosa said that these projects would help address critical infrastructure needs while stimulating economic growth and job creation.
robin.francke@iol.co.za