Stage 3 load-shedding is back

Eskom is implementing stage 3 load-shedding from 14:00 on Friday, 7 March 2025, after warnings during the week of its grid being under immense pressure. Load-shedding will continue until Monday, 10 March 2025 at 05:00.

Eskom confirmed via a press release that this decision comes after a loss of 2,700 MW in the past 14 hours.

This includes Koeberg Unit 2, which was taken offline after being brought back on Wednesday, 5 March 2025, and two Kusile Units whose coal operations went sub-optimal following adverse weather in the area.

The utility explained that higher levels of planned maintenance outages aimed at winter preparation and meeting regulatory and environmental licensing requirements are still underway.

“The constrained capacity resulted in the increased reliance on emergency reserves during this week, which makes it necessary to focus on replenishing these critical resources during the weekend in preparation for the business week,” Eskom said.

The utility is focused on deploying extra engineering resources to expedite the repair of units currently offline. It is anticipated that 6,200 MW will be restored to service by Monday’s evening peak.

It explained that the events that triggered stage 3 load-shedding occurred while the system was already under strain.

Eskom added that its Summer Outlook, published on 26 August 2024, remains unchanged.

“We reiterate our commitment to ensuring that South Africa is in no way returning to the levels of load-shedding that we experienced in 2023,” said Eskom’s Group Executive Generation, Bheki Nxumalo.

“Two years into delivering the generation recovery plan that will bring an end load-shedding, we are at a challenging time, and the full force of our highly skilled engineering resources are deployed and focussed.”

“We have had some delays in returning units that previously tripped back to the grid, as well as to the return of three units that have been on longer-term outage that will bring back 2,500 MW to the grid, which will happen over the coming weeks.”

This announcement comes a day after Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said the country’s electricity grid remains vulnerable due to unplanned breakdowns at existing plants and delays in bringing new ones online.

“Even as I speak to you now, the system is under tremendous strain,” Ramokgopa told Bloomberg. Keeping the power supply stable is one of the things that “give me sleepless nights,” he said.

There have been intermittent power cuts this year; however, as some units broke down, the reliability of plants that are being run beyond their scheduled decommissioning dates remains an ongoing concern.

One of two reactors at the Koeberg nuclear plant, once regarded as Eskom’s most reliable plant, tripped over the weekend, highlighting the system’s vulnerability.