ESKOM has announced that load shedding will be suspended from 10am on Sunday following the recovery of more than 3,000MW of generation capacity and the successful replenishment of emergency reserves over the past 44 hours.

The power utility had implemented Stage 3 load shedding from 2pm on Friday, and the power interruptions were originally expected to last until 5am on Monday.

Eskom stated on Sunday that coal operations at Kusile Power Station are running optimally, and all previously offline units have returned to service since Friday. Additionally, progress on the recovery of Koeberg Unit 2 is well under way, and Eskom assured the public that the unit remains safe.

As part of ongoing efforts to prepare for winter and comply with regulatory and environmental requirements, planned maintenance outages continue. Meanwhile, Eskom teams are working to restore 4,091MW of capacity by Monday.

Eskom noted that while the national power grid remains under pressure, the utility’s structural improvements to the generation fleet continue to reduce reliance on load shedding.

It added that its recovery plan is addressing existing challenges and it will provide further updates as necessary.

Minister of Electricity and Energy Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and Eskom apologised to South Africans on Saturday for the latest round of load shedding, which began on Friday.

The power interruptions were triggered by a loss of 2,700MW in 14 hours, despite an overall 98% power availability.

Ramokgopa, speaking at a media briefing in Tshwane, acknowledged the inconvenience caused and reaffirmed that load shedding remains an abnormal situation that Eskom is working hard to resolve. He expressed disappointment over recurring power failures, particularly after setbacks at Lethabo, Matimba, Majuba, and Camden power stations in recent weeks.

The current outages have been linked to Koeberg Unit 2 being taken offline shortly after its return, as well as operational challenges at Kusile due to adverse weather.

Eskom said it was maintaining high levels of planned maintenance to prepare for winter while replenishing emergency reserves over the weekend.

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Eskom suspends load shedding a day early