Just ten hours after announcing the implementation of Stage 2 load shedding, Eskom has officially confirmed its suspension. The provider initially expected a massive spike in energy demand that did not happen, and trusts that it has enough capacity to power the country until next Tuesday, when it expects to add more power to the grid.
Eskom strikes a balance
Friday, 25 April 2025:
Following the recovery of approximately 2015MW of generation capacity, an expected decline in electricity demand, and sufficient emergency reserves, loadshedding was suspended at midnight.
Planned maintenance continues to ensure system…
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) April 25, 2025
Eskom’s X/Twitter page suggests the energy company had anticpated a sharp spike in electricity usage during peak hours (17h00 – 21h00) on Thursday, 24 April, presumably due to the recent bouts of cold weather. This prompted the company to implement load shedding at Stage 2 to try and get ahead of the demand.
“Despite significant progress in our generation recovery efforts, higher-than-expected electricity demand, the loss of generation units, and extensive planned maintenance have placed strain on the system. As a result, Stage 2 loadshedding will be implemented from 16:00 today and will remain in effect until 05:00 tomorrow,” it said.
But it turns out the energy company underestimated the population’s energy efficiency. Thanks to a decline in electricity demand, as well as the recovery of around 2,015 MW of generation capacity and sufficient energy reserves, it gave the energy provider the confidence to officially suspend load shedding (for now, as always).
Looking forward, Eskom is positive about the coming cold months. The electricity company plans on continuous maintenance to service consumer, environmental, and regulatory demands. The team is reportedly hard at work restoring a mammoth 6,000 MW to the grid, which will hopefully be ready by Tuesday next week.
The energy provider has promised another Power Alert later today, based on the country’s energy usage.
