Eskom eases load-shedding further 

Eskom has announced that load-shedding was reduced to stage 2 at 05:00 on Tuesday, 25 February. The power cuts will remain in effect until further notice.

“This decision follows the successful recovery of eight out of ten generation units and the restoration of 3,808MW from units that tripped over the weekend, with an additional 1,146MW expected to be recovered overnight,” the power utility said.

The reduction follows Eskom’s move to lower power cuts from stage 6 to stage 4 early on Monday morning.

At the time, Eskom stated that the improvement was due to the successful recovery of all five units at Majuba, two units at Camden, and one unit at Medupi since Saturday.

This meant that by Monday morning, eight of the ten generation units that had tripped over the weekend were back in service.

However, Eskom cautioned that its emergency generation reserves were still not at the required levels.

“While the recovery of the emergency reserves is progressing well, further replenishment is required to reach sufficient levels,” it stated.

As of Monday night, Eskom reported that breakdowns stood at 13,690MW—690MW above its summer outlook base case of 13,000MW.

“Ongoing planned maintenance stands at 7,245MW, in alignment with our summer period maintenance strategy, that is at increased levels in order to prepare for winter and meet licence and regulatory requirements,” Eskom said.

“Eskom will provide the next update on Tuesday, 25 February 2025, or as soon as any significant changes occur.”

During a press briefing on Sunday, Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said the power utility anticipated it would be able to suspend load-shedding by the end of the week.