The return of power cuts has drawn strong reactions from industry players and political commentators following a setback in Eskom’s recovery plan over the weekend.

The utility reintroduced Stage 3 load shedding on Friday, January 31. This marked the first scheduled power cuts in over 10 months. Eskom attributed the move to a “perfect storm” of issues, including the breakdown of six generation units at two key power stations – Matimba and Lethabo –  as well as delays in returning units to service and ongoing maintenance. These challenges led to the depletion of emergency reserves, necessitating load shedding to restore them, said Eskom’s Group Chief Executive Dan Marokane. “Over the past seven days, we have experienced several breakdowns that require extended repair times. This has necessitated the use of all our emergency reserves, which now need to be replenished over the weekend.”

Energize reached out to Eskom to enquire whether the current diesel fuel shortage, following the closure of the Natref refinery, may have impacted its ability to run emergency open-cycle gas turbines – a key backup power source. Eskom had not responded at the time of publication.

Not out of the woods

Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa framed the return of load shedding as a short-term issue, maintaining that South Africa remains on track to end electricity shortages. Load shedding was suspended on Sunday, February 2. Eskom confirmed that five coal-fired generation units had been successfully repaired and returned to service, adding a total of 2 931 MW to the grid.

But energy sector leaders have voiced concerns about the return of load shedding, warning that businesses and homeowners now face high electricity costs and renewed power supply instability.

“South Africa just got a reminder that we’re not out of the woods yet. Let’s hope this was just a blip on the radar and not a sign of things to come,” said Dylan Murray, Sales Manager for Africa at Duracell Energy.

The resurgence of power cuts highlights the urgent need for reliable and sustainable energy solutions, said Wesley Palm, Sales and Marketing Manager for Lumax Energy. “This is a stark reminder that energy security cannot be delayed. Now is the time for businesses and installers to take decisive steps toward a more resilient future,” he said.

“It is the worst fear for homeowners and businesses that energy is not only too expensive but now also unreliable again after the record break from load shedding,” Alan Roxton Wiggill, Chief Executive Officer of Power Junxion said in a social media post.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) criticised the timing of the power cuts. “This comes just a day after the National Energy Regulator of South Africa announced a cumulative electricity tariff increase of 16,7% forcing South Africans to pay even more for a service that Eskom is failing to provide,” the party said.

Simply increasing tariffs and implementing “quick fixes” will not resolve South Africa’s energy crisis, the DA said. The party called for the recovery of municipal debt owed to Eskom, full separation of Eskom’s power generation and transmission divisions and fostering of private-sector competition by splitting Eskom’s power generation function into smaller, independent companies.

“We were all looking forward to celebrating one full year without load shedding at the end of March but that’s no longer possible,” said Rethabile Melamu, Chief Executive Officer of the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association.

However, she stressed that progress has been made. “A lot of hard work and collaboration brought us to this point. The trend lines are moving in the right direction and we are close to seeing an end to load shedding. Our power picture looks a lot better thanks to dedicated action on the part of government and other stakeholders.”

Summer outlook unchanged

Eskom’s Summer Outlook, published in August last year, remains unchanged, the utility said.

“Currently, unplanned outages stand at 13 279 MW and continue to trend downward, averaging 12 087 MW. Planned maintenance outages account for 6 298 MW and are aligned with our summer maintenance strategy to further improve reliability in preparation for winter 2025 and beyond. With available capacity of 27 957 MW and the evening’s peak demand forecast of 24 456 MW, Eskom will meet electricity demand.”