Eskom has announced the reintroduction of Stage 3 load shedding effective from Saturday, February 22, 2025, at 17:30, following over 20 days of uninterrupted electricity supply. The power utility attributed the decision to implement rolling blackouts to what it described as another "temporary setback." This unexpected move has taken many by surprise, as South Africans were enjoying the reprieve from power cuts for the first time since the previous outages at the end of January.
According to Eskom’s brief notice issued on social media, the load shedding would remain in effect until "further notice." This statement emphasized the company's commitment to keeping the public informed, stating, "Eskom will give an update on Sunday, 23 February 2025." While Eskom did not provide specifics about the cause of the setback, reports suggest it may be linked to multiple unplanned outages and depletion of emergency fuel reserves.
Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has previously cautioned against complacency, asserting, "The message has always been clear: load shedding is not over, and setbacks are bound to happen." This warning has proven prescient, as the latest setback returns South Africa to the reality of constrained energy supply. The economists at the Bureau for Economic Research (BER) have echoed these sentiments, highlighting concerns about the country’s electric grid being "on the knife’s edge." They noted the volatility of the electricity situation, which can deteriorate quickly, leading to short-notice power cuts.
This latest round of load shedding follows the return to service ad after months without outages. The previous load-shedding events were closely linked to breakdowns at Eskom's aging power stations and service delays. The reimplementation on February 22 came just as the public began to feel hopeful about the stability of the energy supply, raising questions about the management and maintenance of power assets across the utility’s operation.
Data indicates Eskom was facing 13,275MW of unplanned outages leading to the announcement, with available generation capacity standing at 26,640MW. The unscheduled outages spiked from around 10,780MW the week prior, causing considerable concern over the utility's ability to maintain continuous power supply to meet demand.
Dan Marokane, the CEO of Eskom, had previously reassured the public, saying, "Load shedding is largely behind us due to the structural improvements in our generation fleet." His comments, echoing hopeful indicators about stable power supply, now feel deflated as the circumstances have shifted so dramatically. Marokane has referred to the recent load-shedding as "potentially temporary," but the lack of enough reserves persistent within the grid raises doubts about the certainty of this claim.
Just before the reintroduction of load shedding, Eskom maintained hope after producing higher energy availability at 61.44% compared to 54.64% from the same period last year. Following the announcement, the public remains anxious about how long this will last and what will follow as continued updates are awaited.
Despite these setbacks, concerns from experts remain pervasive, as some predict the worst may not be over. The BER warned, "The lack of stable, predictable supply of electricity remains a significant brake on economic growth." The reintroduction of load shedding threatens not only the day-to-day lives of South Africans but potentially the broader economic recovery expected this year. With energy supply seen as fundamental, the country needs to push forward with reforms of the electricity system to stabilize supply
Progress has been made, with reforms encouraging independent power producers to enter the market, adding over 6GW of generation capacity, which is pivotal during these troubling times. Conversations about unbundling Eskom aim to create a more competitive generation market, which could alleviate these continuous energy struggles. Ramokgopa emphasized, "(South Africa) needs to press ahead with the electricity system reform programme" to transform the current crisis.
Returning outages serve as stark reminders of the systemic challenges facing the nation’s energy sector, and as Eskom communicates updates over the next days, one can only hope for sustained improvements and stability for all South Africans reliant on electricity for their daily needs. The path forward requires constant vigilance about infrastructure maintenance and public communication to prevent unavoidable disruptions from returning to the forefront of public life.