CAPE TOWN – Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has expressed confidence that South Africa will experience a load shedding-free winter this year, citing improved generation capacity and the return of key power units to the grid.
Speaking on the sidelines of the G20 Energy Transitions Working Group meeting in Cape Town on Wednesday, Ramokgopa said the performance of the country’s power plants is expected to match or surpass that of last winter.
“There’s no reason for performance to regress,” he said, while noting that a more detailed winter energy outlook will be released next week.
No Load Shedding?
Ramokgopa highlighted several key developments that support his optimistic forecast.
“Last winter, Kusile Unit 6 wasn’t online, which meant we lacked that 800 MW. This year, we will also have Medupi Unit 4 back by the end of May—another 800 MW, which has been offline for nearly four years. On top of that, we’re anticipating both Koeberg units contributing to the grid, with Koeberg Unit 1 expected to return around July.”
In total, South Africa is projected to have an additional 2,500 MW of electricity available at the winter peak—capacity that was absent during the 2023 winter season.
Although April saw less-than-optimal energy availability, Ramokgopa attributed the dip to technical issues, particularly post-maintenance failures.
“What we’ve seen is that some units experience post-outage failures—they come back from planned maintenance with lingering issues. The team, led by Eskom executive Bheki Nxumalo, is actively addressing these problems,” he said.
Despite these challenges, Ramokgopa remains confident:
“I really don’t foresee us performing below last year’s levels. In fact, we are in a stronger position.”
As South Africans brace for colder temperatures, Ramokgopa’s assurance of a load shedding-free winter offers a welcome reprieve—though many will wait for next week’s full outlook to gauge the reality on the ground.
Source: EWN
