Eskom has issued an alert of a high risk of load-shedding over the weekend after more than ten months of uninterrupted power supply.
The power utility said in a statement on Friday that despite the alert, the summer outlook for energy security remained unchanged.
“This is a potentially temporary setback. Load-shedding is largely behind us due to the structural improvements in our generation fleet,” said Eskom Group chief executive, Dan Marokane.
“However, 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," he said.
“Consequently, we are closely monitoring the status of our current emergency reserves, and load-shedding up to Stage 4 may be implemented over the weekend,” said Marokane.
The load-shedding warning comes after the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) on Thursday announced its approval of revenue for the power utility for the next three years.
Nersa said it had approved Eskom revenue of R384 610 million for 2024/5, R409 524m for 2026/7 and R436 860m for 2027/8, translating to price hikes of 12.74%, 5.36% and 6.19% respectively.
Eskom had asked the regulator for R445 563m, R495 355m and R536 778 for the 2025/26, 2026/27 and 2027/28 financial years, respectively. Based on Eskom’s application, the proposed standard tariff increases would have been 36.15%, 11.81% and 9.10% over the three-year period.
Nersa chairperson Thembani Bukula said the regulator had assessed Eskom’s proposal to ensure compliance with the Multi-Year Price Determination Methodology and obtained comment from the public during roadshows across the country. He said Nersa had also received more than 1 200 written responses from stakeholders, including civil society groups, government departments, trade unions, business, political parties and environmental activists.
“We received valuable insights and feedback on several key themes, including affordability, Eskom’s performance, the impact of negotiated price agreements, municipal debt and the need for better consultation by Eskom and municipalities,” Bukula said.
“This decision is not taken lightly. The energy regulator recognises the challenges consumers face and the importance of ensuring that electricity remains affordable while securing Eskom’s financial sustainability.”
He said the regulator had to balance the interests of energy producers and consumers.
“This is never an easy task, for inevitably, it is influenced by the greater economic environment, both locally and internationally, and as directed by the policy environment of the government,” Bukula said.
