Eskom to enforce 14-hour power cut in parts of Johannesburg

Eskom has scheduled a power outage in Lonehill on Friday, 29 November, from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. The utility company will conduct essential maintenance on its distribution power lines during this period. Eskom urged residents to treat all electrical appliances live throughout the outage to ensure safety.

“The interruption [power outage] is necessary to perform essential maintenance on our distribution power lines,” Eskom stated.

“Eskom would like to thank you for your cooperation and apologise for any inconvenience that may be caused by this maintenance [power outage].”

Eskom: Load shedding breaks record

Meanwhile, Eskom continues to celebrate a great milestone: load shedding has been suspended for over 233 consecutive days since 26 March 2024. This achievement reflects the effectiveness of the Generation Recovery Plan, a strategy aimed at stabilising South Africa’s energy supply.

The plan has improved the performance of Eskom’s coal-fired fleet and led to massive cost savings.

“Diesel usage has dropped by nearly 70%, saving us R15.16 billion compared to last year,” said Eskom. The utility spent R21.69 billion on diesel during the same period in 2023.

Minimal impact from Kriel Power Station incident

In other developments, Eskom addressed concerns about Unit 6 at Kriel Power Station, which experienced a fire incident on 4 November. Additionally, the power utility confirmed that the minor damage would not disrupt the country’s electricity supply.

“The unit will not be offline for an extended period,” Eskom assured, adding that its ability to meet demand remains unaffected.