By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
State owoned power utility Eskom has announced that load shedding will remain suspended until Sunday afternoon, after three generating units returned to service.
Eskom acting spokesperson Aubrey Sambo said there has been a lower than expected demand for electricity.
Sambo said, “Following the return to service of three generating units today, load-shedding will remain suspended until 16:00 on Sunday, 07 January 2024 when stage 1 load shedding will be implemented.”
“Eskom will announce the outlook for the week ahead on Sunday and will communicate should any significant changes occur,” added Sambo.
For access to other load shedding schedules, Eskom has made them available on loadshedding.eskom.co.za.
Smartphone users can also download the app EskomSePush to receive push notifications when load shedding is implemented, as well as the times the area you are in will be off.
Meanwhile the long-awaited draft of the Integrated Resources Plan of 2023 has been described as “shoddy,” lacking clarity or detail on the assumptions used in modelling the future energy mix.
Department of Mineral Resources and Energy published the draft Integrated Resource Plan for 2023, outlining its plans to resolve South Africa’s energy crisis and bring an end to load shedding.
The updated energy blueprint envisions more than 100 gigawatts of new generation capacity being built by 2050, and proposes that a variety of technologies and fuels be considered to produce it, including solar, wind, nuclear and coal.
South Africa lacks a reliable electricity supply, resulting in frequent blackouts that have crippled the economy.
The IRP 2023 maps out multiple scenarios, such as a “least cost” plan to produce 105 gigawatts of power, and another that sees 166 gigawatts being generated from wind, solar, gas and battery storage.
“Energy pathways based on renewable and clean energy technologies only deliver the desired outcome in so far as decarbonizing the power system, “the energy department said in the plan.