Eskom sees lower risk of power cuts during winter

Load shedding at Stage 1 only, and for just three days.

South Africa’s state-owned power utility Eskom expects only three days of Stage 1 power cuts, where up to 1 000 megawatts is taken off the national grid, during the winter period when demand increases, the chief executive officer said on Wednesday.

“We anticipate three days of stage one load shedding only during the winter period, which is a significant improvement from our previous forecasts,” Andre de Ruyter told lawmakers in a presentation to parliament.

Read: Big challenges remain but Eskom is making progress

Cash-strapped Eskom has over the years regularly cut power to residents and businesses as it struggles with ageing coal-fired power plants that generate around 90% of the electricity in Africa’s most industrialised economy.